Null and Void
©October 27th, 2018
By Vijaya Sundaram
Death waits, encased in human flesh
Churning with rage and hate
Unwilling, but trapped by its host.
And when the bullets fly,
All the prayers in the world
Float upwards, like confetti being
Sucked back into its box.
Death waits, unwilling, but trapped
In the fleshpots of hatred,
And can never leave,
Except through a gun.
All those prayers scatter,
Dissipate, devotion shattered
By a terrorist who listened
To the source of our terror,
Blathering nonsense on
A world-wide stage, despised by all,
Yet allowed to sit in his sacred post,
Inspiring zealots and haters,
And acknowledging nothing.
From all that emptiness, emerges
A wind that lifts everyone
In its path into its vortex,
And slams them down,
Then, retreats, mumbling, speaking
About the Second Amendment,
Taking refuge behind empty words,
And shouting, “Fake News!”
And when everyone looks
(“Look! A Ferrari!”), it dismantles
Yet another monument, or topples
Yet another pillar of the nation’s
Eroding rights.
This is not a President,
It is a gaping chasm,
A Void that has no bottom.
And all its legions are
Emerging, laughing, excited.
Do we allow them to
Swallow us whole?
Do we fight back the hordes,
Do we cower behind platitudes?
Do we want to even listen
To their shrill cries?
Will we let doubt rise up around us,
And will we drown,
Even as we speak
About liberty and justice
For all?
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