Disappearing Stars
Gazing in the telescope
more bullets out than stars
today a three-year-old was shot
more bullets out than stars
children getting killed in class
more bullets out than stars
no longer safe to shop in stores
more bullets out than stars
a stroll in Central Park may mean
a bullet, not a star
please don’t offer palsied prayers
for bullets feigning stars
at night I’m sure to stay inside
stars scared of all the bullets.
Pamela L. Laskin is the former director of the Poetry Outreach Center, and published author of three young adult novels and five books of poetry. She is currently at work on a book of blogs: “SHADES OF SWEETNESS AND SORROW FROM A SENIOR BLOGGER.”
The Marbled Sigh 