Economy of a Child's Death

A child died today
nameless.
Faceless to most - so why care?
A limp small doll in large hands
unnatural.
Grey battered face,
closed eyes.

A casualty of war,
not her's.
But fought for her they say.
What do they know.
All I know is,
there's one less little girl.

Now she's a number,
a cost.
An economic bargain at that.
How many are convinced,
their lives
are worth more than hers.
Guiltless.

Such lies we have lived by.
Thousands,
for one low price, one life.
How much worse than really
thousands dead,
to save one child's life.

A casualty of war,
not her's.
But fought for her they say.
What do they know.
All I know is,
there's one less little girl.