Firearm Requiem

(In memory of the 19 children and two adults killed by gun violence in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022…as well as the countless others who have and who will suffer similar fates.) Firearm Requiem By Mark Stucky In the U.S., guns outnumber people and sales outpace population growth. Guns under beds. Guns in closets. Guns in cars. Guns in trucks. Guns in purses. Guns in holsters. Guns in forests. Guns in offices. Guns in classrooms. Guns here. Guns there. Guns everywhere. Guns pointing at them. Guns pointing at me. Guns pointing at you. Why let so many fingers on so many triggers? Why protect guns more than lives of children? Why choose gun wrongs over gun laws? Why is America the monarch of mass shootings? Did gun rights come from Mt. Sinai, written by God’s own fingers? Did (not) guns (once again) make America great(ly pained)? When will we as a nation collectively have courage to save generational blood and beat guns into plowshares? (First published in Agape Review, 15 June 2022. See also my poems “Hate Vacuuming” and “Weapons of Wonder.”)