Into the flames are thrown
promises
broken
bone, life
taken
And breath
Yet, hands that fan
wag fingers
Forgive
Forgive
Obey
All Things Thriller
A Celebration of Thrillers, Noire and Black Comedy by Pamela Lowe Saldana
All Things Thriller 
Beautiful!!
One hopes that America has finally had enough with the Nazi in the White House and are tired of the GOP taking away our freedom,liberties and lives.
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It’s terrifying. I hope we can come together and stop the madness, because that’s what we’ve descended into. Pure madness.
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A civil war with this president is quite conceivable. If Trump is not stopped, the United States faces a disastrous future.
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Yes. I am very worried about my Country right now. I love her dearly. She’s very sick.
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I was reflecting last night on how many times I had seen such scenes in America during my life. This should not be the image of that great country that the world becomes used to watching on their TV screens. But it sadly all too often is.
Best wishes, Pete.
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My country is very sick right now. I’m very worried about her.
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It seems like we have made no progress at all since the 1960s. While I respect the police who put their lives on the line many times, and there are good cops out there, some seem to need reminding they are the Police and not the Gestapo. Our so-called President does not help with his inflammatory and idiotic statements.
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I agree that our President has fanned flames already kindled by racism and unwarranted fear. Police officers have a duty to protect and serve. One would hope that they are motivated by that duty to become police officers in the first place, but that is wishful thinking. We would hope that physicians are motivated by the desire to heal and provide comfort for that is their duty, but that is wishful thinking. But even those physicians who are motivated by money and prestige can be good doctors. They can exercise their duty. Same thing with the police. Even those officers that are motivated by adrenaline rush and adventure can exercise their duty to serve and protect.
But those police officers who are motivated by racism, by the desire to control, by the desire to dominate and to assert authority cannot be good police officers. These police officers must be rooted out.
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Exactly!
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Yeah, we’ve been here before so many times. The absurd, unbelievable murder of an unarmed ethnic (usually black) person, the protests start, the months go by, and we go back to how it was. My husband and I were in LA during the ’90s riots. It’s 30 years later! What has changed? Nothing. Rodney King was surrounded and beaten by 10 cops. But at least he’s alive. Now coming out alive from an encounter with the police or even your so-called neighbors is a 70/30 bet against. We aren’t digging underneath the platitudes and the “hope things will change” comments. We aren’t really discussing where this rage and hatred is coming from and how to deeply understand it, unpack it, and ease it in a meaningful way. This country has had its great and wonderful moments and has the potential to be so much more instead of crumbling beneath the weight of hopelessness and ignorance and shallow lip-service that only perpetuates the circular arguments that all wind up in the usual dead end.
Beautiful poem, though, Pam. Thanks for sharing.
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I am a hopeful person, Stacey. Perhaps some might respond to that with, “you can afford to be hopeful, you’re white.” I understand that sentiment (it has been expressed to me, more or less) but some of the most hopeful people I am aware of–in spite of it all–are black. So, I hope that black people, that people of color, that all people will continue in hope.
Within hope, I believe that things will be better as a result of this pain. I am extremely sorry that it has taken so many deaths–one’s that we’ve never heard of, especially those, for years and years and years–to finally break the dam. But the dam is broken. We have no choice now, but to fix it. And I am hopeful that we can. It won’t be perfect, but it will be better. I hope.
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I’ll take “better”! Hope is one of the only thing we have at this point, it seems like. I’m hopeful too, tentatively, but it’s there. Real action, real change might come out of it. 🙂
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Lord have mercy;
Christ have mercy;
Lord have mercy.
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Yes. Indeed.
God’s Blessings, my friend.
–Pam
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It’s over a week since you posted this poem and I still can’t find the right words. All I can do is say a prayer for you and your country.
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A prayer would be very welcome, Paul. We need them. Thank you for the kind words.
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