Over city streets
last breaths of pain and fear, of desolation
gather, accusing the living
of all the peace not sowed,
all the justice not pursued,
the healing still to do

Final breaths
from every Tricia
who planted seeds for all to enjoy,
from every Moe
who sought to stop retaliations,
from every individual whose end
came through violence
fill the air we share, pressing:
Will we inhale these precious molecules, fueling
transformation in the name of the lost,
infusing our blood to act for change overdue?
Or will they drop, unheeded
like more lead,
sent to crush us all?



December 30, 2016, in honor of Maurice Moe Benton, former Peaceoholic,and Tricia McCauley, teacher to many, and the many others lost to violence in Washington DC and around the world

Virginia Spatz is a grateful member of the Capitol View Writer's Workshop, a branch activity in the DC Public Library system. The workshop began during National Novel Writing Month 2015, ironically drawing participants more interested in almost every other form of writing: blogging, poetry, nonfiction, memoirs, play writing, and song lyrics. The group allows writers, beginning or experienced, to share writing, explore process and collaborate with other writers. All are welcome. New time and location beginning in March, during Capitol View's renovation. Contact: [email protected]

Virginia Avniel Spatz maintains SayThisName.Wordpress.com for the DC community, blogs on Jewish topics at Songeveryday.org, and can also be found at vspatz.wordpress.com.