Green Zone

Green Zone - meaning Summary

Refusal of Ritual Deference

A speaker places a helmet in a cage and departs with a bird perched on their head. A sergeant asks whether people still salute; the bird replies they do not, and the sergeant accepts this as a harmless mistake. The poem uses a tiny, surreal scene and spare dialogue to unsettle military ritual and authority. The bird’s refusal to perform the salute turns a formal gesture into a moment of quiet, almost comic dissent. The tone is light but pointed, inviting readers to see how simple, imaginative acts can undermine customary obedience.