The devil danced in broad daylight
as angels bore the innocents--
for only Satan could take glee
in such a senseless tragedy.
The wailing echoes through the night,
yet there will be no recompense;
no words that stave collective pain
nor set the broken right again.
Borne in our hearts, the sound, the sight
of these unspeakable events:
a gaping hole that can’t be filled.,
an aching heart that won’t be stilled.
For “Right to Bear” now see the cost--
how many babies must be lost?
© Ginny Brannan
December 2012
Just a note: I have many responsible hunters and sportsmen among my family and friends. I respect them and do not condemn gun ownership in general. However, in my personal opinion, I feel there is a need to limit automatic weaponry. These weapons were made for hunting people. Our forefathers did not foresee these weapons when they wrote the laws. I've heard the arguments, both pro and con. Yet when events like this happen, and become more commonplace as time goes on, something needs to change.
Sharing at d'Verse Poets Pub Open Link Night Week #75
we share a similar belief when it comes to guns....our right to bear arms has limits...no one hunts with a semi automatic...and if they are concerned with protecting themselves from government well then we need to work on cleaning that up anyway...this is a senseless tragedy....when its easier to get a gun than mental health, we have issues as well...
ReplyDeleteThis is eloquent and heartfelt Ginny. And I agree with your sentiments completely. Well done friend.
ReplyDeleteI saw an interesting comment the other day in the newspaper--something to the effect of --muskets were in use at the time the constitution was written, if you need to protect your right to bear arms, go get a musket--Loved this Ginny
ReplyDeletePowerful! I agree completely
ReplyDeleteyour poem is impressive in form and message. Happy Holidays to you, Ginny. Sheila
ReplyDeleteI saw this on FB and am so glad you shared it on your blog, too. I think we have all found the need to write about the senseless tragedy, but yours is at the top.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Ginny. We are all heartbroken from this senseless tragedy.
ReplyDelete...a heartfelt piece Ginny.... i am not American yet up to now i'm still disappointed of the gun issues in the recent tragedy in Connecticut.... i am puzzled on who's to blame in the incident... i couldn't think of favorable reasons how such thing happened and resulted that way... i don't know... what we had was totally a Universal shock... aah...
ReplyDeleteHello my dear friend, and I was reading your website, I just wanna say I really love it! The overall look of your website is fantastic , as well as the content! Congratulations for your amazing work ! I follow your blog (97)... Hope you'll follow me back.... I wish you Happiness and Joy… And Blessings for the New Year. I wish you the best of everything… That you so well deserve.
ReplyDeleteGreetings from Rio de Janeiro/ Brasil
Nelson
Thank you for your kind words and for becoming a "Follower" of my blog. I checked out your blog and appreciate that you have a 'translator' option, as I speak only English. Am now following. Best wishes to you and your family for the holidays and for 2013!
DeleteEloquently said. You've captured in this Clarian sonnet what many of us believe, in the wake of the recent tragedy - that automatic, assault weapons do not belong in the hands of the general public.
ReplyDeleteSam, I appreciate the reference to a Clarian sonnet, as I know you have shared much on the subject. I am really not sure this would even be considered a sonnet, as most are iambic pentameter, and this is iambic tetrameter. One of Shakespeare's early sonnets, Sonnet 145 I think, was in tetrameter. There seems to be a general consensus though that sonnets should be pentameter. Perhaps the rhyme scheme is acceptable for a Clarian sonnet, but unsure of the rule of meter on such. I think the flow of this might be considered more of a Lyric poem, where the writer speaks to/offers their opinion on a topic. If you see this reply, perhaps you might share a reference or enlighten me a bit more on this. Thanks!
DeleteYour poem is beautiful, full of passion. I agree 100% about the guns... and my heart is broken for the children the teachers the families the community, our country... yet I wonder what kind of pain the young man must have been experiencing to do what he did... I know this is not something most people wish to bring up or discuss, calling him evil is easier to do... and I don't know, perhaps he was and I am not judging your feelings or you, we feel what we feel... what if something "evil" happened in his brain and caused him to do this horrific act of violence... I hope you do not find my thoughts offensive... I just worry about the care of people with mental health/brain disabilities... and feel in my heart that if we could help them AND change the laws around automatic weapons this would be the best way to heal the mess we are in.
ReplyDeletepraying for peace and healing here and everywhere
I can appreciate your sensitivity regarding someone with mental health disabilities. I work with elderly that struggle with age related mental health issues, and also have a young cousin with disabilities, so I am not insensitive to this subject. If this young man did indeed have such issues, then surely firearms did not belong in his home. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Hope we all find peace in the new year.
DeleteOutlawing guns altogether won't work... but restrictions on getting assault rifles and the number of weapons allowed, waiting periods (none in Textas I hear), checks, etc. NRA are complete idiots. They won;t be happy till every man woman and teenager has a gun on them 24/7. hmm that'll stop gun violence... great write Ginny
ReplyDeleteThanks Luke for stopping by and weighing in on the subject. I appreciate you sharing your opinion from the other side of the pond. Too many people own guns that don't need them and/or shouldn't be allowed to have them. Something definitely has to change, that's for sure.
ReplyDeletethis is a strange situation i find myself in Ginny. my heart is moved to express something, yet i'm too stunned to move. is it always going to be this way? i do love your write and it displays such a tenderness.
ReplyDelete