A family

from Pakistan

arrived in Canada one day

their little daughter with them

small soft babe in arms

Sought new life here —

Then . . . ? fourteen years of life,

full ratio of joy and toil

can be assumed, perhaps,

achievement and regret

friendships formed

and fallings-out

and gifts arriving, boy child born

both children growing

upward, outward

day by day

as they do

parents growing other ways

as they must

older, wiser maybe,

or more foolish

human, anyway

and now

and now

Salman Afzaal, 46,

Salman's wife, Madiha Salman, 44,

their daughter Yumna Afzaal, 15,

Salman's mother, Talat Afzaal, 74

all dead, targeted one sweet June night

here in placid Canada

by big black truck that slammed right into them

purpose-driven, crushed them, smashed them

tore them, broke their human flesh apart

as they went walking out

that family of five

together on the sidewalk

of a quiet evening street

the big black truck sped up

to mount the curb

to strike them down

while they, polite, compliant

waited their fair turn

to cross, just as one should, at a corner

waited their turn, as it turned out

like quiet creatures

in a slaughterhouse

Fayez, nine years old, their small son

struck down — gravely wounded

by black careening truck

by chance survived

may live to learn

how he is now alone

alone may learn to live

that way

This family,

all unknown to black truck's driver,

it seems

Yet . . . killings were not random,

were targeted,

it seems

a lot of seeming, but

a twenty year old man that soft spring night

of June 6, 2021, this second slow pandemic year

chose murder — he did not seem to choose

he chose, chose that lovely fifteen year old girl

selected her and all her on-foot family,

chose that armoured vest to shield his chest,

chose that special helmet to protect his head,

sought to slaughter that unknown group, all five.

Because . . . he thought he knew their faith

Or something of it?

Of the responses

a twenty year old man might have

to unknown, pretty, teenage girl

however garbed

whatever his surmise

regarding her beliefs

her thoughts

her plans

her piety

This? This?

No hesitation was observed in the attack

No hesitation is observed in words used now

They were "racialized"

He was "radicalized"

Such strange passivity

Like a dog being exercised

A ghost being exorcised

And now

With fading flowers

plump stuffed toys

and endless stuffed shirt speech

the way we do it now

they, this small and human family

are now "memorialized"

whatever that may mean