Air Raid Sirens
By Michael Roque
During a 60-second air raid siren-
Pompeii becomes the norm of society.
With an eruption,
fire flashes across the sky,
bringing shopping bags to concrete,
crawling traffic to stop
and bustling streets to be abandoned for shelters,
where huddling neighbors meet.
boom-
BOom-
BOOM!
Up above.
During a 60-second air raid siren-
people left outside lie flat on the ground,
while the foundation of the city shakes.
A life of a million sounds
is replaced with a single song
sung by Chaos
with a chorus of booms,
distant and closing in-
boom-
BOom-
BOOM!
Following a 60-second air raid siren-
someone lies entombed
beneath a ceiling that failed to secure them-
A household of memories ripped apart,
while all else embrace silence and relief
in the hours until the eruptions restart-
until again faced with Pompeii-
air raid sirens,
bigger booms, hopes and racing hearts.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Michael Roque discovered his passion for poetry and prose while studying at Pasadena City College. Now residing in Tel Aviv for the last decade, he draws inspiration from the bustling, tumultuous life around him. His work has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies worldwide, including award-winning publications such as North Dakota Quarterly, The Queen’s Review, The Roanoke Rambler, Poetry Super Highway, and many others.