Monday, July 25, 2011

Tears in a bottle




… and then the gun rights people say,
'If there were more guns in Norway this never would have happened.'
and then the outlaw-all-weapons groups yell back,
'No way! If there were no guns this would never have happened'
and then the Christians chime in and say
'Just because he calls himself a right wing fundamentalist Christian doesn’t mean he acted like Christ.'
and the Muslims say
'We’re sick of everyone blaming everything on us before they know the facts.'
and the newspapers claim, 
'82 slain! No! 89! No, wait! 93! More on page 2!'
and America says
'So, it doesn’t just happen here.'
and Europe says
'This isn’t supposed to happen here.'
and cable news tells us
'Amy Winehouse is dead!'
And in Norway ninety-three mothers beg to waken from the nightmare and one mother wonders why her son would create the nightmare
and opinions and recriminations fly across the universe.

Evil hugs itself in glee and rejoices in anger upon hatred, enmity upon intolerance,
heartache upon heartache.

But the God of the whole universe points one hand at evil and says
‘This far and no further, till the day I shatter you utterly.’
and His other hand reaches out to 93 mothers–94 mothers– and says,
‘COME to me. I will put your tears in a bottle and I will give you rest.’

3 comments:

Donna Boucher said...

so sad and true and beautiful.

Lori Lipsky said...

Beautifully written, Prude.

Now I wish I could go immediately and hug my girls, but they're both in a different state.

Mothers, hug your kids.

Di said...

We don't get TV reception here at my house, but I happened to be flying home from So. California on Saturday night. Norway, Winehouse, and more local sadness...and I could only sit and mutter incoherent prayers. Lord Have Mercy.

Di