We walked together into the darkness
Of an undisclosed location.
Give it to me, my wife said, and he
Slid it into her hand.
It’s always heavier than you think.
I stood beside them in my boring civilian clothes
Watching her finger tease the trigger like my soft
Earlobe back home.
Safety’s on, he grinned at me.
It’s always heavier than you think.
And when her Arab eyes closed on mine
below the night-visions
we heard an AK giggle over in town.
Wedding, he said, and lifted her hand
Towards a target my weak eyes couldn’t see.
I stepped away and wished it was me.
It’s always heavier than you think.