Trigger Warning: This poem touches on themes of violence, tragedy, loss, and social injustice. Please proceed with caution if these topics are sensitive for you.

A year of the Dragon’s fierce reign,
Now arise the Serpent’s coiled, quiet claim.
What feels like years, just nine days in,
Grief carves deep lines upon my skin.

Tragedy upon tragedy—
Relentless horrific catastrophes.
Heartbreak swells a constant refrain,
A never-ending, ceaseless strain.

Unrelenting storms lashed the unprepared,
Yet even those ready were still impaired.
Communities shattered, caught unaware.
Struggling to live; still in despair.

A titan falls, broad daylight’s sting.
Mourned as though we’ve lost a king.
An example made, one’s fate sealed tight,
Regardless of truth, they demand his plight.

They see us as shadows, vermin on stone.
Mass shootings echo—grief monotone,
Thoughts and prayers, a hollow refrain
While lives slip away, their parties remain.

Record profits swell as streets turn red,
Cures withheld; their yachts instead.
Do they not see us? Do they not care?
Our blood stains the earth,
But they don’t even stare.

Our weary hearts, appalled, the New Year greets,
Senseless horrors engraved on Bourbon Street.
The City of Angels nearly turned to ash,
As morals and politics piously clash.

Echoes of sorrow for those who pass.
It should not matter, but what is their class?
Laying in the streets as we bleed.
Where in hell is their empathy?

Isolated in their ivory towers
Consumed by greed and fleeting power.
Detached from their humanity
Justifying their immense cruelty.

With nothing left but the rags we wear,
We scream for help, yet no one cares.
As they sit high in their gilded cage,
They wonder why we seethe with rage.

Closing our hearts widens the divide.
Compassion fades as sympathy hides.
With backs turned in anger and scorn,
We drift further from the ties outworn.

The weight of sorrow wears us thin,
Compassion’s spark, growing dim.
With each new loss, we lose our way,
Numb to the cries of another’s dismay.

Utterly exhausted to the bone
With burdens carried, you are not alone.
We are the light within the dark
In each of us lives a divine spark.

We are the example. We have a choice.
United we stand, we use our voice.
We lend our hearts and our hands
Or stay trapped in this wasteland.

Devoid of care, no empathy,
What remains of our humanity?
Without compassion, without grace,
What future do we dare to face?

Each act of kindness, a ripple cast,
A bridge to mend the divides amassed.
A hand extended, a word sincere,
Can spark the change to shift the sphere.

Though the road is long, the steps are small,
Together we rise, or together we fall.
In every heart, the power lies,
To light the world and clear the skies.