Poem: No More
By Gerald Lenoir
To the children and their families
No more sorrowful songs and half-mast flags
No more pious prayers and heartfelt hashtags
No more troubled tears and solemn silence
No more mass murder and victims of violence
No more Uvaldes, Sandy Hooks or Buffalos
No more Charlestons, Sacramentos or Chicagos
No more Breonna Taylors or Rekia Boyds
No more grieving families and lives destroyed
No more children suffering and dying
No more parents mourning and crying
No more hate crimes and random deaths
No more last rites and final breaths
No more lies, no more excuses
No more neglect, no more abuses
No more delaying, no more stalling
No more postponing, no more prolonging
No more can we tolerate political distractions
No more can we accept apathy and inaction
No more can we allow assault weapons on our streets
No more can we permit these tragedies to repeat
No more.
May 24, 2022
Berkeley, CA