The words that we mean always seem to escape

The words that we say never seem to be right

The words that we use can be a bearer of hate

The words that we hear can be a beacon of light

 

We can call this a sin

We can call it a tragedy

Once the news comes in

Putting names and faces to the bodies

Of our brothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends

Who had yearned for love and nothing less

Whose lives were brought to an undeserved end

 

Despite this end our lives persist

In a world that has not yet come to its senses

In a world that permits

Such violence, such hatred so senseless

 

In the efforts to change

And keep us safe

Conversation and debate

Have become automatic

Though the change that we see is all too static and stagnant

 

And thus we return

To the power of words

 

 

What could we say

That will make a difference now?

And how do we articulate

The way we feel somehow?

 

Perhaps we can rewrite

The drama, the horror

Replace the former

With stories of hope

The latter with a promise of love

Or perhaps our prayers will be heard above

 

The words on paper

Of legislation and regulation

May not come in this generation

 

The most tangible force

And most tangible change

Is seen when we drop

Our fear and our rage

 

When family and community

Become stronger,

Closer,

And better than ever

Because we stand in solidarity

Because we stand, in a word: together