Occupation
Joan Dugas

He greets the day with a clear mind
recasts the wasteland of yesterday,
kisses his wife and child,
smiles at those he meets
on his way to the shop he keeps.
He believes that a brief war has removed
the tyrant of a murderous reign
and that peace will soon be theirs again.

Unnerved by the command to stop, he runs.
Caught in the cross-hairs of a soldier’s gun,
he drops………slumps forward on the road.
Horror and shock form an instant. He’s gone.
A single shot brought down one more
added to the Occupation’s score.

Perspective
Joan Dugas

There was a time I thought
I’d never say this:
I do not miss you
or your world.
Lines drawn between us
blur;
where once I stood
armored,
silk billows.
Your money
no longer holds me
fearful
of the street.

These many years
I have wanted
to thank you
for freedom and
unexpected joy,
but you would not
know what I mean.

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