Photo by Rainier Ridao on Unsplash

Seven

The armies are here
I announce
You ask me if I had seen the news
If I understood
Yes
I reply
I may be seven
But I am smart

I tell you
We saw soldiers from three different countries
And they waved to us from their bus
While our buses waited at the traffic lights
I had never seen soldiers before
And the sirens blared so loud in school
That we got free time in class

I don’t tell you
About the knot in my stomach
Bigger than the bombs
That we will die
That you will die
I will never sit on your lap again
And I’ll have to take care of my baby sister alone
But I am only seven.