Reconnaissance

Curfew, from Old French cuevrefeu, 
"cover fire;" Old French covrir,
"to cover, protect, conceal" 
                      ~ Etymonline



Not bells but sirens signal the time 
for extinguishing fires, sweeping 

ashes over any remaining smolder. 
Which is to say, we save the rest 

of our questions about whose and how many 
new deaths for a less crepuscular hour. 

But now we will feed each other. We open 
envelopes of winged bean and rinse them; 

wash the poison out of rice grains, boil 
tubers rescued from their own kinds of 

detention in the soil. Where we reconvene, 
we tell each other we are not alone. 

Continents of dust drift above cities 
in the southwest. Yesterday, discordant 

march of soldiers and creaking tanks. And yet, 
the sky's constantly unfolding horoscope.