by Susan diRende
Thoughts & Prayers
Some of us write to fill
whatever space we’re given.
We wind words around margins
and onto the other side
as if the impetus to say more
might save us
but not the way a 50-page speech
folded over twice
blocked an assassin’s shot aimed
at Teddy Roosevelt’s heart.
Some claim a Bible
absorbed a bullet,
some say a backpack
full of books spared a child,
so many ways to use words
and still the newest faces
are shot in spaces like
our local school where
the room marked library
has no books at all.
Laura Grace Weldon has published three poetry collections: Portals (Middle Creek 2021), Blackbird (Grayson 2019), and Tending (Aldrich 2013). She was 2019’s Ohio Poet of the Year. Laura edits books and teaches writing classes. Her background includes teaching nonviolence, leading abuse survivor support groups, and writing collaborative poetry with nursing home residents. Connect with her at lauragraceweldon.com.
Author/artist Susan diRende travels the world with no fixed abode. She has won awards for her writing including the 2017 Special Citation for Excellence by the Philip K Dick Awards. Her artwork has had exhibitions in New Zealand, Belgium, Mexico, and the US. Most recently, she has had writing and artwork published in The Dewdrop, the Pine Hills Review, and The Gaze Journal.