Claws

My brother was a caring man.
He loved his family.
His children were his pride and joy,
The branches of his tree!

He passed his name on to his son,
His third, and final child,
He thought the boy could do no wrong,
Even when he got wild!

He led my nephew’s Cub Scout troop,
And coached his baseball team!
He tried to teach him all he could,
And boost his self-esteem.

The boy grew up, became a cop,
And made his father proud.
He served in his community
And honored what he vowed.

They got together once a week,
For a family night.
They’d all go out or they’d stay in,
Whichever one felt right.

But this night, what they felt was wrong,
They should have just stayed in.
If only they had not gone out,
Lord knows what could have been.

But pizza sounded good to them,
And so, fate got its way.
They had a date with destiny,
Becoming evil’s prey.

It started as a happy night,
The restaurant was packed!
And then two men pulled out their guns,
And suddenly attacked!

My brother’s wife was first to die,
A bullet pierced her chest!
These maniacs had opened fire,
As if demon possessed!

My niece was hit above the waist,
My brother in the side!
My nephew quickly drew his gun,
His actions turned the tide.

He took out the lead attacker,
But was shot in the chest,
The bullet nicked an artery,
Between his neck and breast!

He could tell the wound was fatal,
But there was still a threat!
What happened next, a witness claimed,
He never will forget.

The gunman was wearing Kevlar
A helmet for his crown.
My nephew didn’t have a shot,
And soon he would go down.

And so, he charged the terrorist,
That’s what each witness said.
He reached his gun below the chin,
And shot him in the head.

Responsibility was claimed
By racial politics.
A protest group of militants!
It’s how they got their kicks.

But my brother was a sniper,
A loyal Navy Seal!
These killers were about to learn,
That this thing just got real.

He never cried, not even once,
Over his wife and son!
When he recovered, he was gone!
He only took his gun.

He reached out to his team leader,
And called upon his team.
They found the group that killed his son,
And made each of them scream!

And once the militants were dead,
At last, my brother cried.
For a daughter who was crippled,
A wife and son who died.

To anyone who makes the choice
To murder for a cause.
Be careful that the bear you poke,
Does not have bigger claws!