The city breathes fire (in progress--feedback appreciated)

[Generic Other]

The city breathes fire—
a choking blaze singes the air

The absence of human remains
in the minutes after impact

No warning of danger
unwinding with
the explosive force of
1000 tons of TNT

Not a single cloud
in the blue sky, no foreshadowing
of the warhead hurtling to its destination,

or the sanitized hands of the pilot
who takes careful aim at his target.

Only a few glance up, take note
at the sound of engines.
1000 offices echo in empty towers,
and far from the center of the city,
factories and industrial smokestacks
blot the skyline.

A deep shadow passes over the fields
following the direction of the wind.

The pilot checks the time and
begins his descent plotting an
unbending course
determined weeks and days
before take-off, years even

strategic flights
that wind back through the chain of command

A general’s signature.
An official document that authorizes action.

The president plays golf.
An aide whispers in his ear.
In the voting booth,
1000 citizens push the button.

[nofurylike]

1. gasp (eom)

[JitterbugPerfume]

2. wow Generic Other

that is powerful

[Generic Other]

3. I was trying to trace the weapon back to its source

An interesting exercise: To undo something. To tell a story backwards.

[Droopy]

4. That looks good just the way it is to me

But I'm not the greatest poet and I'm certainly no critic. As another poster said, very powerful. One of my measures of what makes poetry good is if the author can say a lot without a lot of words. Your poem says volumes.

[KaliTracy]

5. powerful. the progression is interesting

and the ending shocks us into being a part -- not just a watcher/observer anymore.