In the American Capital,
The committee passed
The appropriations bill.
In the desert city,
The embassy leased
Homes for soldiers.
In the commissary,
Shelf-stable milk drops,
Monthly, from Ramstein.
The embassy badges
Camels, and says
Do not smoke.
The embassy advises
Don’t give to beggars
During Ramadan.
The embassy diverts
West Bank water
To the US tanks.
On the rooftops,
You can see Israel, and
The Bedouin coming.
On the off chance,
The E4 gives candy,
Coins are exchanged.
On the patio, scorpions
Dash between the figs
Mad, sticky with bees.
On the floor, the baby
Can’t say her name- Lilia,
So he calls her Yaya.
And Yaya cares for him.
While someone else
Cares for her kids abroad.
And she cleans the house
The E4 could never afford,
Where no one belongs.
And not one of them,
Has time to question
What is appropriate.