By Linda Eve Diamond
We the Grieving hold candlelight vigils,
voices and moments of silence spinning
through darkness—as gun deaths mount
and children practice active shooter drills
We the Tired Masses petition, speak,
write and sing to the choir, cry and shout
into videos, microphones, megaphones
mementos, stuffed bears and pillows
We the Calculated Risks march, run, vote,
write stories, columns, poems, songs, posts…
while victims are reported, stacked and sorted
in cold statistical fields of incalculable loss
We the Problem Solvers share stories
mapping incidents of variable Xs and whys
charting possible solutions in which X
might have come out alive
We the Target Audience endure daily barrages
of blood-red herrings and black-or-white fallacies
as we break down, over and over, the arguments
and essences of commonsense and freedom
We the People live and grieve for peace, Justice,
Liberty and Tranquility for ourselves and our Posterity.
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(The title and italicized words are from the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution.)
About the Author
Linda Eve Diamond is a Florida-based poet whose work has appeared in Poets Reading the News, Your Daily Poem, Tuck Magazine, High Shelf Press, and others. Find her poetry collections and selected poems at http://lindaevediamond.com.
Bullets into Bells 