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Tuesday, December 8, 2015

SLICE OF LIFE/POEM #8


Today, in yet another incident of senseless violence, a police officer was shot and critically wounded three minutes away from my school. I was on middle school recess duty and watched the helicopter circle, wondering what was happening. Most of our kids, accustomed to the regular violence of our urban setting, hardly even stopped to look up at the sky.

"Prey"

Blue striped whirlybird
circles, swoops, circles again 
adolescents kick run shout
surreptitiously embrace
Am I the only one
who wonders what prey
this giant bird
is seeking?

(c) Carol Wilcox, 2015

3 comments:

Linda B said...

When our school was right downtown, we were almost right beside St. Luke's helipad, & helicopters came in often in addition to the others flying around. When visitors came, they asked how we could stand the noise, & we asked 'what noise?" Sorry for this, but your poem focus on the important thing to know, that your students didn't notice at all. Hoping for that officer!

Mary Lee said...

Heart breaking. What IS our world becoming? How ARE we going to turn this around?

Unknown said...

It IS scary that kids are becoming desensitized to this stuff. But then again...let's not worry them any more than they need to be. Beautiful poem.