Boston Marathon poems and more

Two weeks ago the Boston Marathon bombings racked our world. Ever since I’ve experienced uncontrollable tears and deep sadness whenever I read or hear anything about the dead, the injured, the survivors, the heros, the young men who allegedly did the deed.

Times like these bring all the pain of losing my son back. Especially the suddenness of his death. They also remind me how important it is to take care of ourselves in whatever way we can. Writing usually helps me. I’ve been journaling like crazy lately, and I selected three of Robert Lee Brewer’s prompts for the April Poem A Day challenge to write about that unconscionable event in Boston.

HUNDREDS OF SNEAKERS FROM FELLOW MARATHONERS 

HANG ON THE BARRICADES SURROUNDING THE MEMORIAL. 

PHOTO BY REGINA MOGILEVSKAYA

15. write an infested poem. There are many different infestations–from physical infestations to infestations of the heart and soul.

Infested with Violence

Guns abound used for

mass killings at our schools.

North Korea's young leader

with an itchy trigger finger

gets ready to nuke the world.

A Ungandan named Kony

steals children, training them

to be murderers and whores.

And today we found

it isn’t even safe

to compete in a marathon.

Bombs awaited the runners

just as they sprinted

through the finish line.

16. a Two-for-Tuesday prompt. Here are your options:

• Write a possible poem.
• Write an impossible poem.

Impossible

It is impossible to fathom

what goes on in the mind

of someone who decides

to kill and maim total strangers,

people who never did any harm

to the perp.

How does a mind

like that work?

22. write a complex poem. Complex is a complex word that can refer to mental state, apartments, difficulty of a situation, and so many other complex situations.

 A Complex Question

As I asked my husband this morning,

shouldn’t a sales person alert the authorities

if someone from out of state

(she took his name and address)

came up to her and wanted to know,

about the most powerful material in the store,

and then bought two bags of that stuff

paying over $400 in cash?

Now I realize this was a clerk in a fireworks store

and buying gun powder is like buying guns,

and  people have a right to do that.

But I can’t help just asking.