It’s a good day at cleveland.com when
Sport stories outnumber the shootings
Nothing like a good juicy trade in the
Majors to calm folks about murders
Next door why a house or apartment in
Flames has a soothing quality about it
Fire department’s response is outstanding
Mothers and babies saved from the smoke
By firemen fit well-trained
Lift them out to a ladder in pajamas
Clutching a teddy bereft now of everything
Social services will find them a home
Should no relatives offer to take them in
Despite the destruction the harrowing losses
Fire stories have heroes and relate
Heart-felt sympathies across the social
Divides shootings are different these are
Not deer hunters failing to wear bright
Orange plaids whose quick movements
In the trees provoke an exploratory shot
No these are handguns held by citizens
Who have no idea what the second
Amendment provides or who could care
These are people whose lives are at stake
When others around them brandish
A weapon at the slightest real or imagined
Defeat their intent is deterrence
Mutually assured destruction
That's why they carry but if
Things go bad you can’t be the one
Bringing a knife to a gun fight
Better by far be the one who makes
The first move if there’s bad blood
Let it be his that spills on the street
A man’s got to do
What a man’s got to do
You want to judge me
Come walk in my shoes
You with the morals you’re not living
Every day scared the guy behind you
Won’t crack your skull in broad daylight
For your wallet your chains your girl friend
Your groceries your shoes
You with the Mafia stories Sopranos
Should know barber shops are where
People go to get killed nothing personal
Mind you it’s just business
And you got balls to judge me
Like you gave the Indians a fair trial
Or brought my great grandparents
Here to enjoy citizenship
In an emerging new land
Maybe these predators
Could be fine businessmen
Selling insurance baking pastries
Where’s their chance so they
Make bad decisions and I
Who live with them take the risk
They’ll just take my money
Slam me to the ground
I’ve seen your cops do worse
And your judges no better
Be me for a week
You won’t last a day
c. J.S.Manista, 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment