PRAYER FROM A PARENT
It was almost impossible to recognize him at the morgue.
He had been shot so many times
he looked like the rag toy our dog drags around..
I couldn’t believe another human being
could fire so many bullets in someone
laying helpless on the ground.
Was it because he stuck out his tongue?
Or lunged at him the way he might have seen the principal do?
My son was feisty and just—
Yes, at six he was just,
“that’s not fair” his favorite quote.
Our house still rings with his voice.
He was trying out all ways of becoming—
from jet pilot to jockey.
I know there is no way to get over his death,
but just one thing I beg of you, Lord,
do not let him lay still, do something with him.
Please God, do something special with him.
Fan Ogilvie
December 2012
To remember the slain children at Sandy Hook Elementary School
Fan Ogilvie
| My name is Fan Staunton Ogilvie. I am a poet and a painter. A 2008 collection of my poetry “You” Selected Poems and “Knot: A Life”, a memoir, is available at Amazon.com. One of my poetry readings may be viewed at http://vimeo.com/6805776. My husband is Don Ogilvie’65. |