We got this.  We got you.  And US and A,
as in OK, as in alright.  Today
is a tragic day.  We get that.  We woke
to suffering, keen to liberty.  We hope
for a convo…eventually.  We feel,
by God, it’d be wrong to comment.  We still
reeling.  Give us time to grieve!  Thoughts & Prayers.
We swear, we pledge to map the dots and squares
in Vegas, VA Tech, Sandy, Pulse.  Lonely
is the bullet in the gun.  If only
there was something to be done.  Wait, you’ll see:
we have the right (answer), rhymes with “please us.”
Thoughts & Prayers for a place near you, for you—
now, more than ever.  The least we can do.

 

***

 

Michael Marberry‘s poetry has appeared in The New Republic, West Branch, and Waxwing and has been anthologized in The Pushcart Prize Anthology, Best of the Net, The Southern Poetry Anthology, and New Poetry from the Midwest.  Currently, he’s the Creative Writing Fellow in Poetry at Emory University.  More of his work can be found at www.michaelmarberry.com.