Bittersweet

I love the taste
of pears -- especially
red pears

sweet some times crisp
or some times soft juicy
inside as my teeth sink in 

while the sounds of the 
chewing calms down story
after story headline after 
headline -- it was a group
at work, a Black boy walking,
people at a concert, a group
at a nightclub, peaceful 
protesters, a Black driver 

they're gone too soon
all I'm left holding is the 
core of a red pear its flavor
turned from sweet to bitter
to nothing 

this person shot that person shot
on their way to work or home 

to savor the sweetness of the
pears in the future perhaps i 
should never watch the news
again -- maybe there's a scientific
study somewhere that  talks
about the positive effects 
oblivion has on one's fruit
i understand why some spiritual 
folk don't believe in watching
the news -- it has an ingredient
that takes the sweetness
away -- but even if the news
ain't on it still get around on
social media or people just 
talking, "hey, did you hear 
about the guy that...." the voice
fades into the distance caught
in a cirrus cloud or hid behind a 
very tall mountain where there are
no echoes only silence and 
occasional animal and nature
sounds -- perhaps, this voice
might come back one day
some day with a smile and
join our voices with smiles 
also as we share all day every
day good news?!  

to awaken 
per chance
to dream
Copyright © | Year Posted 2019

Poem

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Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace