Why?

Another school shooting; more lives lost

Photo by By Longfin Media

The sun hangs low, a weary sentinel,  
casting shadows that stretch long and thin,  
mocking the weight of grief that hangs heavy  
in the air like a shroud,  
a veil pulled tight around a small town  
that will never be the same.  

Inside the school,  
walls once echoing with laughter now stand silent,  
the air thick with an absence  
that screams louder than any cry.  
A mother sits on a bench,  
outside school grounds,
her body a trembling vessel,  
hands clasped in a desperate prayer,  
knuckles ghostly pale,  
as if holding onto the very essence of hope,  
or perhaps the last remnants of her child.  

Her eyes,  
once pools of vibrant joy,  
now two deep wells,  
overflowing with tears  
that spill like a torrential downpour; 
each drop a fragment of a heart,  
shattered,  
each one a whisper of a memory lost,  
each one a piece of laughter,  
a gentle hand slipping into hers,  
the innocent call of “Mom! Look what I did!”  
echoing in the hollow chambers of her mind.  

“Why?” she breathes,  
the word a fragile moth,  
fluttering in the thick, oppressive air,  
a question that dangles above her,  
a riddle unsolvable,  
a haunting refrain that reverberates  
in the dark corners of her anguish.  
Why was her child taken,  
a life extinguished in the blink of an eye,  
leaving behind only shadows,  
ghosts of moments that will never be?  

Around her,  
the world continues,  
people moving like specters,  
lips forming shapes of sympathy,  
offering empty words,  
condolences that feel as hollow 
as the space her child once filled,  
each gesture a reminder  
of the cruel absence that gnaws  
at the very fabric of her being.  

In the stillness,  
her eyes drown in an ocean of sorrow,  
each tear a reflection of a love  
that will never fade, unwavering 
in the darkness of loss,  
reminding her that grief,  
though a treacherous journey,  
is also a fierce celebration of a bond,  
a heart that once beat,  
a spirit that will forever linger,  
echoing in the recesses of her soul.  

Upcoming…

• A poem about seeking the mysteries of existence:

  Divining Purpose, 14 September 2024

• My new book of poetry and prose, The Edges

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