For the Man

a reflection on the death of Charlie Kirk

By Kay HusnickPublished about a year ago • 1 min read

violence

a last word before a shot rings out,

a wound, a slumped body under words Prove Me Wrong,

and we are left divided, pointing fingers before a suspect is named

I have seen reports of mourning, of joy, of indifference,

felt my own mix of mental chaos in this immediate aftermath,

but I do not mourn the man who called gun deaths rational

when it is his turn to swallow the bullet,

I do not weep for the man who lists dead children as acceptable loss

when it is him as the target on campus,

I do not offer empathy for the man who claimed it dangerous.

I do not revise the past, paint him civil for the sake of his children,

the daughter whose body he would sacrifice, use for a womb,

no, I honor the truth in death

the whole truth, nothing but the truth,

because death does not erase damage done, recorded, sold for profit

death memorializes what's been done in a poem, in stone,

in clips played back again and again

showing this is what he always wanted

an acceptable sacrifice, isn't it, Charlie?

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