We’re still reeling from news of the evil acts committed in Georgia. This fiery first draft doesn’t do justice to what needs to be said. It does not yawp loud enough to be heard in Brooklyn and in Brownsville and in Long Beach and in Billings and in Bangor. But we must yawp together to fight the fight and get the justice and the change we need.

Hear ye, hear ye!

for the victims in Metro Atlanta

They blew up your church and your life
and you get this poem.
They shoot up your schools & cinemas & salons
and you get this poem.
They get water bottles & selfies & high fives
and you get this poem.
They get burger king burgers & a coke & fries
and you get this poem.
They get swim team accolades & future possibilities
and you get this poem.
They get lawyers who voir dire potentials about murder video viewings
and you get this poem.
They worry about impartial juries & public opinion & public relations
and you get this poem.

They get taken in alive
after your life is taken.
They get their days in court
after your days are cut short.
They get taken in alive
and you get this poem.
They get their fair trials
and you get this poem,
this poem that serves as vow to

get you justice.

©David Siller – 2021

*****

For the first 100 days of the Biden administration, this website will feature a new poem of What’s Next!? These pieces can be calls to action, calls to attention, or calls to anger. They will light the way and guide the fight. They will get us moving and keep our momentum. They will be filled with hope, with anger, with sorrow. They will get us into good trouble and point out the trouble we need to stop. They will be polished gems, or rough-cut drafts of rage, or in-process pieces searching for peace. They may be haiku or tanka, limericks or lyrics, verses free or fettered.

#100Days100Poems of What’s Next!? wants your poems, your prose, your visual art (photos, drawings, sculptures), your music, your short films and animations. Interpret the theme as broadly as you’d like.

If you would like to submit to this endeavor, please send an email, with your visual art (as .jpg or .pdf) or your poem saved as a word document (.docx) to waxyandpoetic AT gmail DOT com. Include a short bio (2-3 sentences) and social media/website information. All rights remain with the author. Please address any formatting preferences in your email. Waxyandpoetic.com will post submissions time permitting, with at least one per day beginning 20 January 2021.

Read, follow, share, submit, live, love, spread light! Don’t forget to use #100Days100Poems !