March 28, 2023

the poems we do not want to write

The poems we do not want to write have the words “surveillance video” in them. Also,
”automatic weapon” and “body camera footage” and “assailant” and “victims.” And now,
even “9-year-old” has a horrified tint to it. Ditto “side door” and “classroom” and “map.”
”Multiple” has lost all traces of its former lyricism; “custodian” and “church,”
their metaphor. What is left, after forensic teams sweep through, scrubbing for evidence?
The poems we do not want to write are a lineup of bouquets and stuffed teddy bears
colliding on a sidewalk feet away from an intersection of wide yellow tape that reads
“Do not cross.” The poems we do not want to write step through, walk a minefield
of broken glass on the other side. The poems we do not want to write
we must because they have names: Katherine, Cynthia, Mike, Hallie, William, Evelyn.