the yellow-orange marigold came in
towards the end of summer
like a prayer no one speaks
it would protect the tomato plants
from harmful bugs too small to see
like a guardian angel
I was told hovered over me
to make sure I knew right from wrong
in Viet Nam
napalm exfoliated forests
were the same ungodly color
prayer could never heal
blood splattering like tomato paste
under my skin crawls invisible bugs
just mentioning this memory
all angels abandoned us
wronging our actions
Martin Willitts Jr recently won Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge, Artist’s Choice, November 2016. His recent full-length is "How to Be Silent" (FutureCycle Press, 2016), and his recent chapbooks are “Martin Willitts Jr Greatest Hits” (Kattywompus Press, 2016) and Turtle Island Editor’s Choice Award for his chapbook, “The Wire Fence Holding Back the World” (Flowstone Press).
Fantastic poem, a joy to read.
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