Round and Round the Rounds
By Amehja Williams, 18, Pennsylvania
how would i ever start
to talk about my brother’s heart?
once stark and shining, like the sun,
too soon found all its beating done.
leaving a night’s stroll unfinished
and a dear friend’s whole life diminished
to a figure traced in congealed chalk
all along the red sidewalk.
i don’t know how to fix the light
blinding all my siblings’ sights
to think that killing is a gain
or panacea to our pain
is a pernicious adaptation
to a corrupt and blind nation
for around and around the rounds will go
and where they stop, we already know.
perhaps if I had hugged him and he had hugged another
and another chose to embrace another
we might have walked together
and released the taut tether
to the pain and hate within ourselves
and rediscovered the love once shelved
upon a ledge thought too lofty to reach
and instead of bullet casings in the streets
there might’ve been love blooming from seeds.
The meaning of this poem is that even if you feel powerless and helpless, if we all take steps towards encouraging and welcoming love and empathy in our own personal lives, we can ultimately yield stronger communities in the face of gun violence and other social challenges. I wrote this poem when I was dealing with that sense of powerlessness. Writing it, I felt empowered, and I hope I can empower others through this poem as well.
