Measuring the Days with Tragedy

rain when the
news comes down
that the killer has been
crucified

i turn away from the
voices that scream for vengeance
and from the ones that beg
for forgiveness

and i want to offer words
of comfort
to these parents of murdered children
but i have none

i sit in my son's room and
watch him sleep
instead

watch his tiny hands
furl tight around the edge
of a blanket

this small sunlit moment
the only pure memory
from the
season of crows

-- John Sweet