Day 1,082

The girl was shot
on her first day of school.
She was wearing new clothes
distributed only days before.
Her father walked
to pick her up
and while she was telling him
about her day, about
the new friend she’d made,
about the new book
she was going to read,
the multiplication problems
she’d figured out,
the quadcopter flew over them,
targeted them while
they were walking,
murdered them both. Now
her new dress
is covered in blood.
Now the new book
she would have begun
will never be read.
Now her new friend
will wait for at school
tomorrow, wait excitedly
with all the new things
she’s wanting to tell her.
Wait and wait and then
give up waiting.