Funeral after funeral we watch
but none will top the one in
Charleston when the President
sang “Amazing Grace.” There are
no more words of shock or grief.
When will the national well of
tears run dry? 204 mass shootings
in the USA in 204 days? We hear
that stat and we question: but
did someone die in every one? Why
were they not all on TV? Is this
real? Or the propaganda of paranoia?
How can this go on week after week?
We didn’t know!
And Bobby Jindal, or some other
governor, some other politician
jumps in front of the camera
barely able to conceal a smile
and says in righteous rage: “This
is not the time for politics! We
need time for this city to grieve!”
Well, no Bobby, our grieving is done.
We are past grief. We, the nation,
are in some other place – is it
anger? We need someone to shout
you down, Bobby. Someone needs to
take control of this, this what?
This lifestyle of grief?
Listen – it is not going to stop. We
are too full of guns, yes, and crazy hate –
Though we want to puke, frankly
when we hear the words, “Both
sides need to…”
There is a national malaise – there
is no other word. Go pick one.
The economic indicators go up, the
people’s confidence goes down.
The Mourner-in-Chief sighs.
He knows if we think it’s fine to
murder six-year-old children and not
put a limit on our treasured guns –
what? Are we past saving? Remember
the last time of national malaise,
Jimmy Carter was President and a
former actor was scoffed – Reagan
could never be President, they said,
Gerald Ford said. The nation was
sad and fed up. And now we have
Trump.
Cal Nordt 