what kills what and who kills who

-in memory of twenty-eight beloved people who lost their lives yesterday. A childlike call to respond in compassion and with reason.

…………………………………………………….

In kindergarten we played rock, paper, scissors.  I never understood how paper could ever win, so I always chose rocks and scissors.  

Within this past year I learned that kids nowadays play rock, paper, scissors, gun.  

the gun

always

wins—

which

takes

the fun

out of the game.

With my friends yesterday

everyone chose the gun

so no one won.

could it be

we

were all wrong

all along?

……………………………………………….

he found out his mom was giving him

a set of steak knives

for Christmas

but that is not what he wanted

so he took one of them thar steak knives

and killed her.

Mad with rage,

Herod slaughtered the innocents—

one knife per victim—

twenty-eight knives in all.

Yes, it was a large knife set,

but very compact.

He left the biggest knife in his truck, though—

it was too hard to carry around.

Besides, who needs a meat cleaver

to do in a five-year old when a small paring knife will do?

“Why didn’t anyone stop him?” we asked.

Well, he was so fast 

with them thar knives,

no one could do anything but hide.

“We should limit access to knives,” some say.

“No, no, no, no, no,” others say. 

“Because remember:

knives don’t kill people,

people kill people.”

Oh, that’s right. I forgot.

We should change the game, then.

Let’s make it rock, paper, scissors, guns, knives,

and the knives always win.

The scenario is absurd.

I’ve never seen anything like it.

Truly.

…………………………………………..

In kindergarten,

when I played cowboys and injuns,

the cowboys always won

cuz them injuns only had

arrows but we cowboys had guns.

Guns could shoot farrer and more better than arrows;

even kids knowed that.

When we grow up,

we forget what it’s like

to be a kid.

So we get ourselves

turned inside out and upside down.

It’s like we’ve gone crazy.

If a crazy cowboy shoots himself in the foot,

he’s really taking a bullet to the head.

There are mistakes

and there are fatal mistakes.

The line between madness and reason stretches forever.

Have mercy on a crazy cowboy—

do right

and walk humbly

and the good Lord will have mercy

on us all.

what kills what and who kills who

a poem by troy cady