The Mourner's Song

The fabric of society

Is tattered and threadbare

The richness of its colour gone

For neglectful is our care

Both apathy and animus

In tandem seals our fate

And call for cooling of this drift

As always, comes too late

Economic instability

Malaise and growing fear

A listless youth lacks hopefulness

The signs of strife are clear

On top of that you pile on greed

Unfettered hoarded wealth

The pressure insurmountable

On fraying mental health

The rumble of this short-fused breach

No longer can be silenced

And the innocent and ruinous

Are fused in senseless violence

So now the taking of a life

Becomes the default act

Defining in finality

It can’t be taken back

The ripples of this tragedy

Reach far and echo long

The backdrop of the bloom-draped box

Leaves stark the mourner’s song

Benumbed, be warned, this be our fate

Reverse course is our challenge

It’s without question our very lives

Are hanging in the balance!