Remembering Newtown (Poem)

Remembering Newtown

The pilot whales strand themselves
while a choir sings mass for Mandela.

Tomorrow we'll be stringing lights
in mango trees, shrugging off mourning,

and a Santa in every mall in America
will sit for a picture with a crying child.

The ornaments went up long before
we'd finished picking the meat off

turkey bones and put away our horns
of plenty. There is never enough

time to separate needing from wanting.
Already, ice has ruined Florida's oranges.

Up north we hear reports of small arms
fire cutting short a dream to play in snow.

© Maureen E. Doallas