I have a trench in my soul
Sorrow
Deeper than
The Marianas
I cry out,
Who can hear?
I stand where my tame yard
Intersects wilderness
Dragonflies and moose
Even mosquitos
Seem more civilized than
The human stories on the news
The people exposed for
Buying off justice
Buying the “right” to be first in every line
Paying too
To keep others at the back of the line
Buying newspapers to remake news
In their own image
Those who embrace
Death
In all its disguises:
Gluttony
Prejudice
Fear
Envy
Then go further and confuse their
Second amendment right
With the right to speak their mind
With a gun
Pouring out the anger, fear, tears
As bullets
We were warned of this
Yet here we are
So I stand
On my weedy back lawn
Watching Mother Magpie
Scold the neighbor’s cat
From the middle branches
Of the neighborhood moose’s favorite tree
Letting bees
Alight on my arms
Trying to let nature heal
Wounds it did not make