Politicians masquerade as
utopians of power
self-interest thinly disguised
as moral righteousness

But the dervish pays no mind
the story has been told
for millennia, and
only the actors change

Would-be king makers again
scurry to escape
under an empty Kabul sky
from which the gods have departed

The Afghan sun will wait
yet another thousand years
the sheep are not there
for the shepherd’s pleasure