—for Stephanie Palumbo
An abyss opens in each searchlight's slender beam.
The horizon flees in both directions. To the left it stumbles on a hill but keeps going.
The dissidents try to unlock the earth with their keys.
There is another way in.
The children know it. They close their eyes and will themselves into constellations, such as: Hamster, Guinea Pig, Lizard.
Up there in space, the stars that the dictator turned off are still there.
The Chameleon blends in with the casualties.
