Grieve, America
by
Raynette Eitel
Grieve, America.
Pull the black silk of night
Tight about your body
And fill it with your tears.
Mourn, America,
Even as you long for sleep
To fill all the dark corners
Of your dreams with healing light.
Have Courage, America,
As you press your face
Against the window of tomorrow,
Too afraid to look.
Rage, America.
Howl your anger
Across the rubble like a wounded wolf,
Then carry that rage as a torch
Into secret caves where evil hides.
Hope, America,
Stars and stripes binding us together,
Lips moving in prayer,
Arms outstretched, palms up,
To catch the rainbow
As it comes.
