8,000 miles away

A girl no higher than the kitchen table
Cranes her neck to see its surface.
All around her, mother and father
Rush to grab lunch and papers before
Leaving for a new day at the office.

In the corner, wedged between cookbooks and
The fruit basket sits a television switched
To CNN: Fifteen more killed in roadside
Bomb, it blares, flashing images of desert
Road and soldiers 8,000 miles away.

The girl's eyes follow the glow of the
Screen, wondering at the meaning of it all until
Her mother turns it off with a
Click, obliterating the truth of
8,000 miles away.