The Same Monster

Lost the war
Napalm
Slanted eyes filled with pain
Dug under
Tunnels
Hiding
From the monster
Running…screaming…on fire
Feet in dirt, blood and sweat
Lost the war
Immigration
Years passed

Sit in the mouth
Of the
Vibrating
Green chair
Electronic massaging
Lounging - a hard day
luxury deserved
Glancing downward
Feet in soapy pools of water
Swirling…waving…warm
Slanted eyes look up
What color would you like?
She files off the cuticles of war
Shaves off the sins of my callousness
bottom of my feet
touch the earth
ruined by the fire
the same color as…
Red, I say
My husband loves red

Skin tinged yellow
kneels back down
on the enameled rice paddy
My feet sink back into the muddy water
Dirty…stagnant…dead
No escape
I am trapped in the tiled jungle
Still the monster