Across the chalky road she stares
Her sad, brown eyes have seen too much.
Lashes, long and flecked with dust,
Rough hunk of wood, her makeshift crutch.

Her body trembles, so afraid
That speech evades her tiny lips.
Though hunger growls, she cannot eat,
That instinct...totally eclipsed.

Pain subsides to constant throb
Beneath her filthy trouser leg.
Her brother tends the shattered bone,
Before he leaves their den to beg.

In last week's shelling, Mama died
And father left to seek a home.
Since theirs was deemed to be unsafe,
He left them, frightened and alone.

Now everyday she looks for him
Through acrid smoke and bitter taste.
Their temporary home, a rubbled hole,
Beset with rats and their own waste.

Her brother knows he won't be back
Another victim wiped away.
But comforts with encouragement,
In hope she lives for one more day.

Across the chalky road she stares
Her sad, brown eyes have seen too much.
Lashes long and flecked with dust,
Rough hunk of wood, her makeshift crutch.