OPERATION IRAQI FREEDOM
19 March 2003
by Andrew Wiget
In the dark the breeze carries the smell
Of water across the desert,
Breathing on us like grace,
Washing away our night sweat and fear.
In the morning, with birdsong and the sun
Piercing our windows the bombs and missiles came,
The new dawn of our liberation,
Freeing us from our mud-brick homes,
From our hungry, clamoring children,
From our tired bodies made of clay.
In this new dawn of sudden freedom,
A blast of warm wind rose from the heart of their shame,
Liberating our dust, and carrying our names
Like the smell of water
across the desert.