Listen, you’re safe now.
Inshallah, breathe easier—
Are you hurt? Can you move
your arms and legs? If you need
, I will help carry you to safety
with these other volunteers
who have come to bring civilians
into the spotlight of international
attention, for so many have died
that the already thinning population
feel the pangs of mourning as a whole
, and none are left unaffected by grief.

Now you will see a doctor who will give you fluids
to try to revive you, although you have been under
the rubble for three days, and there is no shame
if you succumb ; I will stay with you and watch your
breathing and hold your hand so that you’re not alone
when the moment comes
—
for I believe
that if you are
not alone then
you may find
heaven, even if
you lived a
life which
brought you
shame

We saw three white horses running wild
on the road to Damascus, and they say
it is an omen—for what, I imagine?
The pink clouds loom over our camp
at sundown, and we count our losses
—but for the miracle of you.