The murderers
three degrees removed
from the deceased
are rarely convicted
even when
the neighborhood’s
soothsayer compass
points directly
at them.
That does not mean
the police
do not dangle
fishhooks with
some undetermined bait
hoping to lodge the barbs
in the criminal’s throat
and not just
the soft fleshy cheek
where the hook
can tear free
with a yank.
It is not like
this poorer neighborhood
can use hallway mirrors
as magical portals
to escape the violence
of the gun toting teens
in search of belonging.
Especially when
the church steps
are not safe
from drive-by revenge
that accuses God
of not caring enough
to bend over
and wipe the stinking
dog shit
from his shoe
before entering
his holy house.
copyright © 2022 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 