I thought turning off the news would dull the pain
but it doesn’t go away.
A journalist named Foley was murdered–
could not be saved,
might makes right
in a world
where chapters are written in blood-red wounds.
Fighting
on every street around the world
inside so many homes.
I sit here transporting myself
by traveling in my mind
and reading at my desk where I pretend that my prayers might count,
where I imagine freeing someone from doom
with a miracle
manifested from collective thoughts.
The kidnapped schoolgirls are no longer making headlines.
Tanks on the streets in Ferguson, Missouri remind me of Kent State.
Shoot first, ask questions later
pumps endless adrenaline
into our already overloaded bloodstreams and stressed out lives.
Here in Phoenix, a distraught mother called for help
for her daughter
who had a mental illness
and instead of helping her
the authorities shot the black woman to death.
It’s always the same they say-
we were afraid for our safety.
She had a hammer, or was it Skittles, or perhaps cigars?
Meanwhile
the monsoon rains cleanse the dehydrated desert
where the birds are happy, rabbits are bouncing,
the air is scented with sage and blossoms,
a momentary peace
brought on by storms.
Copyright © 2014 by Susan E Rowland
Treat Yourself to a Journaling Adventure 
I am confident that your prayers do work. We don’t always see the outcome. A doctor once told me to stop watching the news so much. I don’t know how you can get away from it. We cannot dwell on what we do not understand. Where do we start to control this? I guess by acknowledging that we don’t control anything.
Thank you, Meredith. I do believe in the power of prayer and am optimistic that something good can happen with dialogue in our own homes and in our communities.
I love how you have expressed it all <3. Hugs, Swati
Hi Swati, thanks for commenting. ❤ Hugs to you and yours.
Beautifully written food for thought. Tough to chew on. Hard to digest. Tempered with the momentary and enduring peace of rabbits and scent of sage. Thanks.
We are really enjoying the wildlife lately…especially bunnies and birds! ❤
It’s heartbreaking how reflexive so many are with violence. Has there ever been a time when it wasn’t so automatic, when people wouldn’t think of hurting one another, when compassion was a tangibility, when there was peace? Pray that we may be the peacemakers now and ultimately the peace.
This is taking a while to digest, as Viva said. And you know, I wonder if the internet is making everything more frantic and reactive. I wonder if overpopulation has something to do with the rages going on. People are over-stressed, overworked, and underpaid. Juxtaposed to that is poverty, despair, anger and lack of direction and opportunity.