Day 405

Tell the children goodbye every night.
Tell this to them because every night
could be the last night, 
and — if in the first light of day
you open your eyes and see them
still sleeping, their little chests rising 
and falling, their little mouths
open — kiss each one
gently on the forehead,
feel the moisture and warmth
of their living skin, whisper their names
to each one, to summon
their souls back into their 
soft bodies — their souls
that perhaps, in the night, found
grassy meadows to play in, sweet fruit
to taste, cool water to wash
the terror and grief from their faces.