IRAQI CAMERA

by devin wayne davis


was there, in this
dreadful climate,
a tyrant trained
to rule you?
did the bomb
have everyone
up last night?
did you give it any
thought that your neighbor would
shoot you in the hood?
have armored transports,
and well-equipped gangs
pounded down
the door to a store
you used
to own
—your home?
do you distrust
water;
goods
& services:
electricity,
gas, the law;
succession
—civilization?
could you sleep,
rocked in the cradle;
but open a lid to awake,
and wonder …
whether
you’re iraqi, or american


devin wayne davis, once called "ink (or inc.)" in a seaside vision, has written well-over 2, 000 poems. His work is printed in the Sacramento Anthology, 100 Poems, Sanskrit, Dwan, Poetry Depth Quarterly, and 17 chapbooks. Selections can be found on-line at Del Sol Review, Perihelion, Pierian Springs, Locust Magazine, Kota Press, Octavo, Jones Av., Pig Iron Malt, Great Works, La Petite Zine, Stirring, Offcourse, Rio Arts, Wandering Dog, Whimperbang, Kookamonga Square, and Split Shot. Both Barnes & Noble and Tower Books featured readings by davis; he has addressed citizens and lawmakers on the northern steps of the California State Capitol.