The drone operator
I shut my eyes
And when I opened my eyes another nightmare was beginning
And this nightmare was wearing a dazzling white suit
He was pretending that he cared about me but he didn’t
All he wanted to do was take from me
And let myself blow and bend like a tree in the wind
What did I tell you he said
Look away from the golden sunsets
Look away from the drying rivers
The choking summer sun
What do you mean, no
I can’t dance to this music
I just want to have another drink
OK man, just do it
I said, OK man, just do it

When I opened my eyes
I was thrown through the french doors
And into the garden
Choking on the smoke
But it still didn’t get me high
Lights and voices spilled from the remains of the bathroom window
But a few yards beyond the rubble
Night drew up its barricades and sealed them off
The barely glow of the stars
The trees and flowers stewing in their burnt odors
And there was no moon
Hey man, pull out your white handkerchief
And spread it over the darkness like ink
Spread the pale cloth over the darkness like ink
He gave me the goggles to watch and I put them on
To stare at the facade and almost think that the unripe pears could be lumber with which to rebuild
Take the smoldering wilderness and try to domesticate that with rocket ships
Or bury the consciousness in the darkness like ink
But the emptiness became an advertisement
And the drone operators came and uncovered me
Their gaze piercing through the veil of the white cabinets and the pink wallpaper
So I crawled into bed and pulled the sheets over my head
But even that didn’t shut out the light