A Farmer in the Leaves - Poetry Feature - Chiu-yi Rachel Ngai

A Farmer in the Leaves

There is a farmer in the leaves

With a tear upon his sleeve

He watches the soldiers as they march

Through his fields of green

They move without mercy

They head towards the sea

They grab at people as they go

And know no sympathy

The farmer dares not emerge

From his haven from the purge

Outside the children scream

He shuts his eyes and fights the urge

They will find him some other way

When his soil becomes clay

They find him cold and limp

He will not wake today