home Poem List next poem Tragedies Increase People often stampede in real danger When death moves faster than humans can run Hope becomes somewhat the comic stranger Languishing when life's paths are fast undone Someone tries a trick that backfires in flame Catastrophy embroils its confusion Improper containment mistook as tame Thirty seconds allows death's intrusion Perhaps pepper spray was used without thought In the presence of war's hysteria Personal fights became tragedy's plot Stampeding caught on image media Pretending anyone can do all things As long as money flows to city coffers Where networking structure to connection brings Coordination in exchange for offers Of eternal being of formal choice To conspire in small groups to alter views Rewarded by those who we see rejoice While living lies when they prey in church pews Hunting terrorists within incompetence Waylays the spirit of social concern Without any semblance of forced pretense Flames are dying where passion once would burn (c)ERA 06:24 AM 2/22/03