You don’t always get what you want, and sometimes just when you think you’ve got it figured out, you find out you were wrong again.

One of my favorite character quotes is from John Updike’s short story, “Friends from Philadelphia.” Near the beginning of the story, Thelma says, “Life is just too, too full of disappointments.” Since Thelma is just a teen, I think the comment is particularly striking. Today my poem was inspired by a news story sharing a terrible tragedy in Texas. The part from the article that struck a personal chord with me was when it stated that two children were hiding from the gunman and were unharmed. Unharmed?

Five dead as Texas man kills family, including niece, 8 (msn.com)



Not Harmed
the newspaper claims
the children were not harmed

two children hide--

13 & 6 
listening to their
father/uncle
open fire
killing
his estranged wife 
her sister, her brother
his 6-year-old niece
then himself

two children hide--



Barb Edler, January 18, 2024