too soon

A runaway train of grief
plows through every
town
city
peak
and valley
of the nation

As the lump in our throat
remains
and we wonder when it
will pass and realize
it won't...

but will it
be replaced?

by more trails of tears
more sorrow
heavy and thick
coating our hearts
which begin 
to grow more porous
by the day

but as the agony
of this loss
permeates our
soul something else
happens too

we allow the sadness
to reach it's lowest
depth and with that
provide a springboard;
a place to bounce

and back up we come
and together we
do this
not with politics
or division
not with
blame or
judgment

rather with respect
for the self worth of
all of us
ALL of us
including those of
us deeply flawed

we see that pain
is pain
and cannot be
separated
valued
labelled
prioritized

suffering is life
life is more than
suffering too

because we
have suffered and
lost
we live and
love again

it is in our darkest
hours of grief and
loss that we see
our innermost
selves

in in this national
trauma
those innermost
selves are
reaching out together
and holding
hands right now
all across the globe

this connection we
feel with those
we didn't realize
we shared commonality
with:
the ultimate
expression of our
humanity

we can be better
and we will be better.
20 children above
are counting on us.