Day 626

They’re told the house next door 
is about to be bombed, so they go
to their oldest sister’s house.
A telephone call at her house
tells them her house
will be bombed, so they go
to an uncle’s house.  A day
passes.  Another
day.  Then his
house is slated to be bombed,
so they all go back to the family’s
house, since the house next door
has already been bombed and is
nothing now but a pile of stones.
They all stand together
in the kitchen, weary,
hungry, looking
around.  The then call comes
that this house, now, in ten
minutes, is going to be bombed.
What kind of vicious
play is this?  What
obscene dance
is being choreographed?
A pot of lentils
sits on the stove, from when
they first left, still uncooked:
someone had thought
to turn the stove off
when they first fled.  Now
they have to escape
again.  Who
will carry the pot of lentils?
Where, if anywhere, will
they cook them?