Photo credit: Pidgeon Pagonis, @Pidgephoto on Instagram

the transmission will stall
the stair will give way
the branch will hold
you will be just out of reach
the ground will be soft
the kevlar will disintegrate
the black bag will grow a tear
the recording will be inaudible
they will trip over your bloodline
the zip tie will malfunction
your fingernails will know their eyes
the software will consume itself
the shattered glass will dance about you
the files will be water-smudged
the wood will be dry
their venom will blister their own mouths
the camera will turn on them
the keys will go missing
your headscarf will fold itself into night
there will be a hole in the fence
the rifles will peel apart in their hands
your box braids will strangle them
the pipes will freeze
your surname will catch in their throats
your scent will render them docile
the hardware will spark and hiss
your foremothers will scream in their ears
the salt will fill your stomach
you will duck at the last moment
your fist will not apologize
the turbine will lurch
the dance will sustain you
the infrared will flicker
the missile will cleave
the murdered will stare them down
the generator will fail
the projectile will bear no fingerprints
the song will remember you
they will have the wrong coordinates
the river will be shallow
the bomb will disarm itself
the signal will break
the plane will double back
the stars will look the other way
the line will cut
your feet will be sleepless
the bullets will arc like nightbirds
into open air