Aftermaths & empty chairs

i
see it
everywhere –
you can’t close
your eyes
when death
sleeps in
your bloodstream.

the news –
relentless;
ashes can’t be
reborn.

i
dig graves
and bury flowers
where you would
have walked.

i
make tea
and set the table,
mourning that
we cared for some
but not for all.

no matter how
loud,
no matter how
piercing,
it’s not about
me
or even
you.

each attempt,
each call to action
rotates around
the Earth,
then disintegrates
and we remember
nothing,
nobody.

i
shout
on sidewalks,
on intersections,
on interstates.
why are we
still
walking?
What are we
walking
toward?

why is
no one
listening?

pay attention
pay attention

(please)

but my efforts
fall flat,
they ingest
themselves.

i
am a soul
without a
backbone
and i

am tired
of trying
to fill
this

void.