Day 656

Women and men collapsing from hunger
on ruined streets.  Children of twelve
wasting away.  Who were they?
What did they love?  What
did their voices sound like?
What was the shape
of their mouths, color
of their eyes, temperature
of their hands?  Who
cherished them?  What terrors
haunted them in their sleep?
What images chased them?
What pain did they feel
as the hunger eating their bodies
proceeded, relentless, 
on its path?  When
did they close their eyes
for the last time?  What
possibilities sleep now
forever under their lids?