Land of Dust

Children run,
Chased by invisible foes
Through the streets
Covered with the dust of so many
Lives
Lying there,
Broken
Turning to dust
Paving the road.
And that one little girl,
With the tattered dress
That used to be pink
Before all the dust,
Standing at the end of the lane,
Clutching a one eyed
One armed
Mangled
Doll
In her weak, thin arms.
And on her feet
Her new shoes
Glisten.
The first new thing
She’s ever had.
That little girl will
Always
Remember those
New
Shoes.