Kim Rodrigues Poet Free verse

Parents On Parapets On Their Cells

innocence in stock?
playtime a torrent.
precious salve needed.

swings low and highs.
slide like the wind; climb
spider-red web — now
he’s asail on the deep sea.

mud puddles* all around.
running, jumping, playing, chasing.

especially loved my grand chasing the sweet
little girl. adorable….quite adorable
and my grown-like-a-weed grandson
playing so sweetly...quite sweetly with the throng.

but the pudgy kid
carried a twisted wire
and his parents let him carry
guns — no permit, not concealed,

toy guns in fact,
as he rings my young grandsons neck
with the crook
of his elbow and him and another kid
hold guns to his head.
this is playtime?
WHAT...THE…

the youngest boy wearing a tube hat,
starts acting out cujo,
going after the “big kid,” 
who also got kicked in the knee
and the butt.

it was time to leave this public park.
my youngest grand had escaped
the treachery with an elbow to the perpetrator’s gut
and i left this sordid scene as if it was
a bar room brawl,
“Let’s go.”

so let’s judge —
where were these parents?
likely seated on the outskirtting benches.
of course they would have come down on me,
like a waterfall, if i had had to pry my precious grand
from one of the soulless kid’s hands.

2/20/2021

*using as a verb here

**YES! A TRUE STORY!

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Victor Buhagiar February 20, 2021 at 10:32 AM Children playing with guns? That's just terrible. Guns may be used as self defence not for playing, ~~ Kim Rodrigues February 20, 2021 at 4:18 PM It was ridiculous!

Mystic Rose Rose February 20, 2021 at 8:29 AM Ah, this is so sad, I always say when your kids are young sometimes its like throwing them to the wolves. At least that is what I experienced when my son went from grade school to high school. I can truly empathize with your experience here. Well written and so heart felt. Thank you for sharing Kim. God bless, stay well. Kim Rodrigues February 20, 2021 at 8:45 AM Yes, I totally agree. At least their Dad riles them up a bit so they can stand up for themselves. I remember, their mother was always “nice” but had to deal with a bully. I told her sometimes you have to do something else when dealing with a bully. Nice yes but stand up to “the wolves.” A teaching moment since they are doing online learning. Like you said there are wolves out there!