Day 1,097

How long has it been
since you awakened
to birdsong, a sky
with a crescent moon
still not completely absorbed
into daylight? Once
you greeted the dawn,
washed your face,
stood at the doorway
to your children’s room
and, for a moment,
watched them, still
asleep, peacefully breathing?
Then you would get them up
for school. Then
you would make their breakfast,
sit at the window
watching them walk
with their little backpacks,
holding each other’s hands.
Once the day would unfold,
hour by hour, in a way
you could understand. Once
the sound of airstrikes
did not drown out
the birds, the voices
of neighbors, the sounds
of life being lived.
Once the stench of death
and raw sewage
did not obscure
the fragrance of jasmine
and spices. Once