Day 419

Their mother brings them a plate
of banana and orange slices.  They
have not eaten fruit
for over a year, have not
even seen it.  Today their mother
found fruit at the market
and brought it for them, costly
as it was.  Their joy
is palpable:  they shriek
at seeing the neatly cut
slices, run to the couch
where they’ll eat them, hug
each other, unable to contain
what they feel.  One orange.  One
banana.  They know
it’s not certain they’ll see these
again, they know — 
because everyone knows — they may not
even live to see food
from the market one
more time.  But for this
moment, none of that
erodes even a sliver
of their delight.