Personal Response:
Steel Feathers
bullets flew as birds do
They grazed the clouds, the sun,
my family, my friends-
purposefully wasteful
They always hit a mark
the violence in the streets
terror
terrified tears ran swiftly, swiftly
but blood ran faster
What I wanted
was the peace we once knew
flowers on the porch
a sunlight drawing room
to hear chirps and not screams
Yes, I wanted peace
but peace does not beget peace
no, passivism and silence
do not intensify the cries of the downtrodden
loud enough that those in powerful places
may hear them
and violence begets violence
but from the violence,
perhaps – peace.
Presentation: