There is a man,

Somewhere in this world,

greasy black comb over hair

and polyester suit.

Right now,

He is staring through his reflection

in the dirty bathroom mirror

thinking "Just put the barrel in your mouth and pull the trigger."



And somewhere in this world,

There is a woman

her child's mouth at her breast,

Rocking gently,

she sings him songs of twinkling stars.

She strokes his tiny head

and smiles.


And somewhere else

there is a soldier

carrying a gun

trekking through muck and mud

Feeling an overload

of hate and fear and sadness

of pride and love.

Learning everyday, a new way to survive.


His mom and dad are

in their middle class world

in their middle class home

and they get on their knees each night

and pray to God for his safe return.


There is a girl,

covered in sores

from the constant scratching,

She hangs out on the street corner,

and she sleeps in the alley

where other people toss their undesirables

She smells of urine and sweat and tweek

and can think of nothing more

than how to get her next high.


Somewhere, at this very moment,

a child is abandoned

His mother and father dead,

He is hungry, he hasn't eaten in weeks

He misses his momma

He will die soon too

of malnutrition and disease.


Somewhere, anywhere

we all struggle

we all laugh

We all live

We all love

And one by one

we die

we become a poem

a memory

a story

a distant relative

planted on a family tree.

08/14/2007

Author's Note: yeah, I was inspired by my word of the day. It is still a little rough around the edges.

Posted on 08/14/2007
Copyright © 2025 Britt Zimmerman