Day 509/Ceasefire Day 39

How many days were you
under the rubble?
I think it was two.  Maybe three.
Day and night were not
that different.  Everything
was dark.  No sky
between blocks of concrete.
Nothing.
How many kilometers
between where you went afterward
and the home you fled?
Home?  Sixteen kilometers.
Seventeen. Thousands, millions,
if you’re asking about what
I had there. A home.  More
than a home.  An infinity
of kilometers.  How many
people did you lose?
Do you mean family?  Friends?
Neighbors?  How many people?
Sixty, seventy thousand.  More.
We could count the ones
who are still breathing but
who wouldn’t really say
they were alive.  Alive
is different.  We could double
those numbers and never
arrive at the end.
What are you doing
now?  Lifting one stone.
setting it aside, then
lifting another.  Breathing.
Planting anything green.
No, tell me: what
are you doing now?
Counting.  Counting.