thoughts and prayers
at the end of a steel barrel
do not stop the death
hurtling forth
thoughts and prayers
keep falling on the deaf ears
of children cut down
like weeds
inconveniences in the way
of the liberty to own machines of death
thoughts and prayers
are not what will stop
the next one or
the next one or
the next one
we need to fix the fractures
we need to fuse the fragility
we need to teach our boys
that the way to express themselves
is not to destroy others
there is a straight line
between the fist and the fuse
and until we redirect that path
we will only have empty
thoughts and prayers
04.20.23
This and “cocoon” were written for a Professional Development session.