The Opinuary Column*

The Opinion
Life is precious
has died
having been shot at
and much maligned
shocked and drowned
throttled in its crib
blown up by a drone
invaded, destroyed, mocked
bulldozed, beaten, suppressed
buried, bombed, immolated

rushed to the emergency room
it was denied care
it had a previous condition
it missed a payment
it lacked the proper documentation
it made others uncomfortable

The Opinion
Life is precious
was born and raised everywhere
it sang like a little bird
held gently in your hand
marveled at, cooed over
until that day when it could walk on its own
and took those delicate steps upon this crusted earth
this dance floor, this majestic carnival

and it sang too much
and it danced too strangely
and it upset some folks
and it needed to be corrected
and put in a box
and draped with a flag
so we could coo over it again

The Opinion
Life is precious
was at a wedding
in a hospital
skipping rocks at the lake
riding a bike
drawing the sky
listening to Elvis
holding a parent's hand
reading about love
making mistakes
trying, trying to get it right

it knows that it will endure
in the smaller frames
in the quiet lives
in the drunken expositions
in affirmations in the street
its death will be its life
or so it will insist

The Opinion
Life is precious
has requested that we
keep some small portion
of its remains in an urn
some scattered by the sea
a river, a spring, a meadow
a mountain, a prairie
some on the mantle
some sparkling portion in our hearts
this is when we
fall to our knees
for it is gone
this precious life

don't string up the bandits
too clever to not be all of us
don't rail against the dark
for that is where we are born
don't start eyeing rocks for combat
or bullets, or shards of hate
we trained the young to kill the young
and that was our reward

The Opinion
Life is precious
is survived by forms and shadows
echoes, remnants, ripples
stories, music, light
spices, sand, dogs
the eulogy of the setting sun

in lieu of flowers
feel no shame in love

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The Opinuary Column appears Friday afternoons at Jesus' General.

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*Special Collectors Free Verse Edition

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