the shields are melting into your walls   Istanbul
the invasion is thousands of parachute toys
fired into the air by legions of traders
and tiny beneath them girls weave torn corners
of canopies and veils into the sky
sky of gulls occupied by turbulence
water and light moving through the cistern
spirits struggle for space on the square   flags wave
flags always will    voices mark the boundaries
of the city    voices hearts and outstretched arms
Istanbul    the shields are melting into your walls
the invasion is thousands of parachute toys
 
 
from Zinger (Salmon Poetry, 2013 forthcoming) / first published in The Penny Dreadful, #2