Occupied...Forgotten

lost places
lost times
trampled on 
by accessories of strategy 

never thought
never found
never saw

the play fields
children's toys 
the memories 
walks down sun-lit lanes
arms entwined

warmth like freshly-brewed tea
with a golden-brown hint of nostalgia 

lost dreams
uprooted
and flung into the Tigris

ripped earth as red
as the blood of the

lost years

expunged
then dried 
then cracked by tank wheels
wet with more blood 
and then left to rot

lost words
lost glances
lost meanings 
all extricated
stuffed into a khaki 
knapsack 
and thrown into the Euphrates
lost moments 
when tea was passed 
and the earth warm 
under our bodies 
where we sat 

laughter
like the sun had suddenly 
gotten the gist of the joke
and shade
like paradise 
had descended into Zawaraa
in an instant of confusion

lost
stolen
occupied
forgotten...