Giving Thanks?

A couple with eyes swollen from grief

Sits at the Thanksgiving table,

Wanting to let the sadness depart,

But at the moment they aren't able.

 

You see, the husband and wife just lost

Their son in a shooting two weeks prior.

An angry gunman entered a club,

Took out his gun, and opened fire.

 

The topic of being thankful arises.

The couple wonders, should they be

Thankful that their country permits

Shootings to happen to such a degree?

 

Should they also be thankful that

So many lawmakers have been unwilling

To tackle a problem that's out of control--

To stop or curtail the senseless killing?

 

Likewise, should they be thankful that

Hypocrisy and greed exist?

They--along with callousness--

Allow such nightmares to persist.

 

That far too many members of Congress

And the highest court in all the land

Are out of step with most of the people,

Whose wishes they fail to understand:

 

Should the couple be thankful for that?

Will anything change when they're less distraught?

Deciding what to be thankful for

At the moment would take a lot of thought.

 

No, it's better not to ask them

While their hearts are rent from sorrow.

What they need right now is hope

That there could be a brighter tomorrow.

 

-by Bob B (11-23-18)