UNFINISHED CROSSWORD PUZZLE

 

Jelly beans for lunch

and water

to wash down the decay

caused to my innards.

 

An unfinished crossword puzzle

carefully folded over

to hide the answers.

 

The bold letters spell

“W-A-R”

and so a few(thousand) bombs

are dropped

and brave warriors
are captured behind enemy lines.

 

And the words on the pages

of the newspaper

do little more

than the words on this page

to convey the horror

of a mother’s tears; a siblings anguish.

 

The prayers often seem in vain

but if there is a chance

one must seize it;

the sorrow will not subside

just yet as the anger mounts.

 

The headlines shout out

glorified and horrified response

but there is blood on my hands

that won’t wash clean

and I suspect I’m not alone.

 

 

 

 

 

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