Day 312

You are not a number.
You are not number 39,782
of those who have been killed.
You are not number 124,486
of the 186,000 and counting
who have been starved, deprived of water,
forced to go without insulin, heart medication,
antibiotics.  You are a child
who liked to sing.  You are an elderly man
who read, took long walks, carved
wooden figures for your grandchildren.
You are a mother, a teacher, a nurse.
You are a girl who was beaten, raped
by soldiers who broke into your house
and laughed at your screams.  You
are a boy who lay in bed
dreaming of places far away.
You are someone who listened
to birdsong in the early mornings.
You are someone who loved
the fragrance of jasmine,
the way shadows of leaves
moved over the new grass
and the way you could almost watch
figs ripen on the tree in your garden
in August heat.