Hi gang, Jim Fowler here again with another poem. This one first appears in Animus #19. I am a Vietnam and Desert Storm vet. The second Iraq war brought back many memories. Here's a poem.

Years Later, Thinking
of the Invasion of Iraq

I sip my Earl Grey, set the cup
on the table, lean back in the clasp
of my chaise longue and close my eyes.
The cat mews and leaps onto my chest;
she rubs her cheek against my chin,
circles once and curls in my lap.

A chopper roars overhead. I wince.
The cap leaps. I jolt upright.
Blood wells up in the cat scratches.
I lie back, take a breathe, slip
into the aroma of the roses.
A breeze dries my sweat.

On the other side of the trees,
my neighbor's Harley rumbles
and backfires. I scoot across
the lawn and hit the dirt,
face down, behind the stonewall.