The Children of Aleppo
today cold perfect day to curl up on the couch cuddle into the cushions
select a favorite book thrust my toes toward the fire the morning quiet
the neighborhood like a graveyard no one about snowflakes balance on the sage
the sun is out snow glistens as it melts dripping moisture onto the thirsty earth
christmas cards still in the package maybe they are for next christmas even the wind
is lazy today still snuggled in the mother and father playing makebelieve
tell the children about a jolly fat man dressed in red who drives a team of reindeer
on christmas eve brings good children gifts a bag of switches for bad children
... I wonder... what did the children of Aleppo do?
worlds collide they say it is civil war life grinds to a halt
war machines take the streets life a nightmare the volume of war
turned up children scream grown men cry
misery is everywhere everyone trying to escape find a safe place
someone dreams of the warmth of straw in the barn sunbeams filter through
dust motes in the air eating figs on a summer's day wasting the afternoon because we can
memories of another time today is cold our homes in rubble
the road home has vanished struck from the face of the earth death and destruction
the symbol of war is everywhere citizens mutter search the rubble
for bread the spirit of man down but not out
comfortable in our warm beds we wonder how they do it
could we do the same could we survive could our children
December 18, 2016
