16.45h The Firing Squad

The dog carried the day in her mouth / over the fields of the small hours / towards a hiding place / which before had been safe. // Nobody was woken before dawn. // At noon / the dog sprawling in the shade / placed the pup between her four paws / and waited in vain / for it to suck. //A  line of prisoners / hands knotted / fall forward / into the grave they have dug. // Belly to the earth / the dog carries the day / which has never stirred / back to its dark. // Under the stars the bereaved / imagine they hear / a dog howling too / on the edge of the world. // This piteous day was born / stone-deaf and blind.