January 8, 2011

TRAUMA BAY Of true evil, I’d had barely a peek But this day would be an education A full immersion in the fetid reek The foul depths of his soul’s violation. Indescribable draining sensation, It leveled its shoulder, knocked out my wind Stop spinning room, dig deep, began again. Although miles away we were from the crime We felt the direct impact on our hearts His trigger pulls pierced many souls each time, Bodies punctured, shrouded, lives torn in parts. Shock waves broke spirits, families apart. It was his ghoulish realm made manifest, Backwards kingdom of delusion, unrest. CHAOS United by our common urgency The fair-skinned devil in our own backyard Morphed into citywide emergency A distress call radiated outward The nation slowly turned its eyes southward Our easiest, natural reaction Find the inner sword, and gird for action JANE 1 A loving deed, rare and touching to all Warm, kindly neighbor from across the street Taking her friend, the senator to call Sweetness like yours, I would cherish to meet Just not with your blood pouring on my feet. Half whisper, half gasp, you told me your name “Ma'am, we’ll take good care of you.” Heart aflame. JANE 2 A still form on the gurney, lying there Soul dangling on the thinnest thread of life Crusted crimson stain in her ruffled hair The same height, same build, same age as my wife Eviscerate me, invisible knife CAT scan on the screen revealed the damage Twisted anatomy, bullet ravaged HEROISM Between heroism and everyday strides A simple matter that we were prepared The gulf, in reality, not so wide The tools and skills we wielded, not so rare, A thousand heroes happened to be there. Yet together we formed a solid wall Resolute warriors answered the call But of heroism, one thing we did learn Between appearance and reality The public laurels that a few did earn Oft unaligned with actuality How image misconstrues causality Media promulgated story lines Have so many false agendas behind The convenient plot lines of journalists Tales of what has supposedly been So little to do with real turns and twists Tangential resemblance to the blue screen The actual truth of all I have seen Yet all the falsehood cannot steal the pride The fated day's true heroes hold inside 4/5/16