we swallow the gun shells

and bite down on bullet

after bullet

after bullet

after body

after body

after dead child

after dead child

after no action

after no action

after silence

after silence

and while

they lower their dead

children into graves

they can still remember

how pale their faces

looked in the hospital

when the monitor stopped

beeping

and congress does nothing

except take money

after money

after money

tweet out

their condolences

and offer up some prayers

on the way to the bank

to deposit their latest

check from the nra

while we swallow the gun shells

and bite down on bullet

after body

after dead child

after no action

after silence

until another child

has been shot

another loved one

has been murdered

another life

has been taken too soon

and congress watches

from their pedestals

and thinks about how

lucky they are that

guns aren't allowed in capital hill

and we swallow and bite

swallow and bite

and we bleed and die

bleed and die

and they sit and do nothing

sit

and

do

nothing.

-c.h.

~