Leaving

a day comes in the height
of a war you’re winning
when the flag poles
begin to bend from the
weight of the flag. your
will then becomes an
hourglass attempting
to reverse the hand that
turns the wheel of time.
in my grandfather’s hat,
there’s a letter to his son
that says he lost the war
in an attempt to raise the
flag. My father says it is
time to leave the red flag alone.

Younglan Talyoung