killing
the child said
became like drinking water
clean
or clean enough
though one says that one is part of everything
there is a conflict there is a resistance involved
this for that
that life for this
a finger to the lips
or to the trigger
the revolver is vulgar
in the boy’s hands
decorated with beads
the weapon turns over like a word on the tongue
bella bellum
the war of all against all
the beauty of all against all
to emerge from emergency form
out of force equal to
all those bodies bathed in that free water
Beth Bachmann