before we’re asked
to mourn again.
We can’t grieve
before we have to believe
it’s happened again.
It's happened again.
We can’t catch our breaths
before the deaths
accumulate.
It’s far too late.
And all the while
some carry on and smile
in some acceptance
of the norm.
We can’t live
our lives worrying,
I’m told.
But when we will grasp
that our inability for empathy
holds us back
from being the very kind of people
our children lack.
It's happened again.
Compassion is the compass
that will guide us to a place not far
if we’re brave enough
to hold compassion
behind our teeth
and in our hearts.
