And He Will Guide My Craft – Vandal Poem of the Day

that is not a burning building it is a bonfire on the beach

and those are not soldiers they are fishermen

I am rowing us closer you will see

how those are not guns but fishing poles

a star is not a fighter plane

an island is not an aircraft carrier

and can you see the fishermen cooking their catch in the fire

I am rowing us closer

do you hear their laughter on the wind

yes it sounds like people crying but it is not

do you hear the fire popping yes it sounds like pistols

taking prisoners to the afterlife but it is not

I have always been with you

these are my hands rowing your boat

we shouldn’t be on open water when the sun rises

we will dock here this is a peaceful island

you can rest you can eat

that is not smoke it is mist wrapping the cliffs

while the fishermen tend their fires

those are not bodies they are people sleeping

we will leave our boat behind when I say run

we will run as fast as we can across the sand

don’t look back you will disappear into the woods

and I will disappear into your mind