Stories from L.A.

        The Poetry Page


Two days in a row
the paper tells the tales
of dead children,
left in the hands of parents
declared fit by a system
seemingly doomed to fail–
whether it acts or not–
those it is meant to protect.
I know if I cried
all day, every day
until the last of my days,
fewer tears would fall
than blows on innocent flesh.
It is strange to think of you as lucky
for simply having survived
those years that darkened your eyes.
Because, you know,
through those deep nights,
I wished you luckier.

August, 2009