eleven moments of war
blood pooling on the broken pavement
the whine of a bullet off a roof
brown and grey camouflage
lost in the desert
a night scope full of shadows
flag at half-mast
again
a letter unanswered
a helicopter whisking up
a soup of sand and dust
meaningless salutes
the politician flying in
full of smiles
the latest photo of a toddler
not cuddled since birth
the longest day, the one before
shipping out for home.