RUN! DUCK! HIDE!

Day and night out breaks the fight 
Between the colors of red and blue 

Pop pop the sound you hear 
Feeling the tension in the air 
As gunshots, 
Wiz by the most fortunate 

A peaceful walk turned into a sprint
And those that can't run, blood stains like ink
The sidewalk tells the story of his fall

After the cops arrive 
Yellow tape cords off all sides 
And the curious like an ambulance 
Races to mornings third homicide 

There is mumbling in the crowd 
A few voices raised a little louder 
Recognizing the lifeless teen 
In his final pose

A young girl crying 
From the depths of her soul 
As her painful voice sings 
He was only twelve years old 

As someone tired of the picture framed
Calls the unresponsive by name 
While covering his face 
With his jacket of blue 
Mingled with the red that bleeds through.

Wilford Barker.