The Line of Fire

our children in the line of fire

scrambling for their lives

while we dreamily polish our guns

reminders of the good old days

when we lived in the wild west

when war was a synonym of greatness

when guns didn’t fire eight hundred rounds a minute

we cherish the smell of red brass and gunpowder

as our children practice hiding in closets

learning to shiver and cry in silence

instead of multiplication facts

we pat our sweet babies’ heads

and send them off to the line of fire