I Sent A Prayer to Mother Earth—She Hasn’t Replied Yet

A grave, chipped & covered in moss, stands solemnly

amongst its fallen brethren

An acorn, fallen & lying at the bottom of a tree

soaks up the morning sun

The man covered in dirt & patchwork thin clothing

shakes a dented can at passersby

A mother duck leads her children into a pond, water gently

rippling

around them as they paddle into the sunset

A girl, no older than 16, stands on a street corner

with her beat up guitar, singing to whoever listens

The tomato plant, so heavy with life, starts to

droop in the garden bed

A dad turns 60, his eldest starts

worrying how much time together they have left

The bunny eats clover in a garden filled with

happy memories of children laughing

A square of sidewalk everyone tries not to look at

because a young life lost at the hands of the law is

Too much on the human conscience

A students whole world tilts on its axis, the professor

can see that creative spark igniting behind their eyes

The big orange cat yowls at the top of the stairs for the hu-

man

to carry him down because he’s gotten too old

To do it himself

A family whose child was the victim of a brutal murder,

sobs hysterically, jumping for joy as the judge

Delivers the death penalty