The bullets
slaughtered seventeen precious souls
splintered the lives of parents, families, and friends
ripped through the heart of our nation (we will not heal before more bullets come)
came from a weapon of war in the hands of a tortured, orphaned soul.

“We must not deny access to these weapons.”
Dollars slide into the pockets of our leaders.

We shake our heads
At the wrongness
of this epidemic of mass murder
of a nation that values the right to shoot
more than the right not to be shot
of leaders who love dollars more than children.

The excuses pelt us like gunfire:
“Don’t politicize the tragedy”
If only he had counseling,
where were his parents,
why aren’t the teachers armed?

Our country continues to bleed.

We imagine
An end to the slaughter
Righting the wrongness
Leaders who don’t sell their souls

Will the day come
when we no longer imagine?
when we say ENOUGH!
when we vote for new leaders
When America heals

When will the day come?