Giggles

Wide eyes huddle close

Skin and bones rub together

Whispers stop as I walk close

Their eyes dart from me to their comrades

I crouch low

"Do you know where a general keeps his armies?"

Their bodies tense

Their wide eyes grow narrow

I whisper

"In their sleevies"

The smallest is the bravest

From the back I hear her

She giggles

Laughter spreads like an ocean wave

We're all on the floor laughing

And crying

They have not laughed often

These poor children in arms

I must teach them

I must show them

That it is alright

It is safe

To let loose

Their giggles