Oleanders shrink under precisely this--
Oleanders shrink under precisely this sun,
And the A-10s make coming home circles
in a sky bristling at their touch.
I try to imagine storm cloud, brush fire meadow,
Just enough space for my family and me
to live without injuring any possible you.
But all I can hear is airstrip as the A-10s trace
their cursive script,
And the prickly pear blossoms this far into drought,
Looking first like a fist, then a mouth.