Breathe Peace

My heart shreds

Not like a guitar shrieking 

Quietly instead

How do shredded muscles heal?
Stitch the pieces together, use

Tiny threads to make whole?

The sounds of silence

When so many hearts tear 

All at the same time

A backdrop of gun fire

Children's screams

Each day another shooting

Each breath another opening

Each time, we mourn, we grieve

Chronically and constantly alert

For unique and terrible tragedies

How do we live and breathe peace?

How do we share and engage

With those we love and those we don't

When each moment feels so fragile

So full of fright?

Numbly, I dive into deep waters

That restore my soul

Coming up only for precious air

Once in a great while