THE NUMBER IS SIX
Small if counting pennies,
large if ranking a hurricane.
Some economists say pennies
no longer have much value to us.
Some scientists suggest Category Six
should be added to the hurricane scale.
What’s this rattle against my bones, a storm
growing around me? Or coins in an empty bin?
I just don't tremble like I used to. Not like the time
the number was 21 dead. Not like the time the number
was 15 dead. Not like the time the number was one at first
but then grew through the rest of the day. Not like when I heard
the number for this year and how it keeps growing from the number
last year. I am beginning to understand what it feels like, this growing numb . . .
No. The number is six. Cynthia, William, Evelyn, Mike, Katherine,
and Hallie,
whose father described her as
a gift.
Such a gift.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
If you’re feeling despair, outrage, or numbness in reaction to the latest school shooting in Nashville, please consider making a small donation to Sandy Hook Promise, an advocacy organization founded by family members of victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary shooting. Learn more and donate HERE.
And, of course, call our representatives and give them hell.
SPEAKING THIS SUNDAY
I’ve been invited to speak at 11am this coming Sunday at Kansas City Oasis, which is a weekly gathering of “a community of reason and compassion, celebrating the human experience.” The title of my talk is: Where the Spirit Meets the Bone: Compassion, Action, and Human Imagination. You you can find details about Sunday HERE.
POETRY CONTEST
I’m excited to be one of the judges for this year’s poetry contest in Kansas City, organized by the Young Friends of the KC Public Library. This is a locally inspired poetry contest in celebration of National Poetry Month. Submissions will be accepted from March 15 to April 5.
Winning poems will be turned into illustrated posters by a design team at Crux KC, and displayed along the KC Streetcar line.
If you’re in KC, please send us your best poems about our hometown!
What I’m currently reading: Michael Ende’s Momo, Mircea Eliade’s The Sacred and the Profane, Chuck Klosterman’s The Nineties, The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis
What I’m currently listening to: Joy Oladokun, Houndmouth, Del Water Gap, Sylvan Esso