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Poem: “F-16s”

by on Sep 27, 2012 in Poetry
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F-16s

I heard the roar of F-16s
Cross the city overhead,
Sentries high on kerosene
Who on their airy pickets sped

And we beneath a city wall
Without a stone or battlement
Thought no more of our downfall
That such patrolling should prevent

But when the walls go up it means
There is a gate that must be closed,
Documents that must be seen,
Private life to be disclosed

So that at last the guards deform
The shape of life they should defend,
And no one knows of what they warn
Or if the siege will ever end

Pavel
September 5, 2011


Pavel Chichikov is a Washington DC-based poet and photographer. He has written for both the secular and the Catholic press on issues as diverse as Russian nuclear weapons systems, Olympic athletes, and miracles. His books include From Here to Babylon: Poems by Pavel Chichikov,  Lion Sun: Poems by Pavel Chichikov, Mysteries and Stations in the Manner of Ignatius, and Animal Kingdom. Pavel may be heard reading his works on catholicradiointernational.com and on pavelreads.com. His poetry regularly appears on "The Poetry of Pavel Chichikov."