The walls around the heart are defensive–
While love pours out,
hate is held at bay.
Until today…
Safety was always tempered by fear–
The heart struggled
harm was lurking.
Until today…
Today, the walls were overrun–
war has come,
safety but a memory.
Today, today…
The numbers grow on either side–
The dead and wounded,
The loved ones missing.
Today, today…
Another drumbeat in a long song–
A tune both joyous,
And distasteful.
No joyful songs today…
What price the losses so far–
What price the losses still to come?
What cost the hate?
No wide-eyed innocence today…
Loved ones and friends, and strangers–
in a blink, in a flash,
forever lost.
This day, today…
Yet the heart still survives
It’s pulse beating strong
Faster, more resolved
Today, today…
Written for 10/7/2023
