Sorry
the radio fuzzes out in small bursts
seizes our breath with each roar
the president's voice comes on
more distant than a physical thousand miles
~sorry, he says
sorry to those who survived
sorry for our terrible losses
his heart hurts for us~
we've done the math
counted the canned food
rationed water
~help is on the way, he says~
our faces lit by eerie flashlights
hair already falls out in clumps
rawness freckles our faces
teeth wiggle like toes in wet sand
~he's sorry~