A Little Birdie Told Me

Birds fly confused over Manhattan,
their homely Emily Dickinson faces
haunt the survivors down below.

Two towering structures
have been turned to dust
and belly up to iron beams.

The Statue of Liberty kneels
on its desert island,
her torch has fallen in the water.

The birds circle in the rising smoke
that smells like human residue
before they head to Central Park.

There, they tell the tale
to those who have no clue
and try not to exaggerate,

but, you know, how birdbrains are.
Soon the story becomes so unbelievable
that we’re convinced the towers are still standing.