Trigger the Shift ~ OpenLinkNight


I have been painted a poser, a painter, a sinner, a saint,
But never when starring down the barrel of gun
whose intent is to wipe my essence from the world.

I have been judged fairly, wrongly, sometimes a bit of both,
But blood has never spilled as a result
of misunderstanding.

So much I take for granted...
Never having to know the fear that comes
when death marches behind you
or chases you down and calls you threat.

They say when you arm yourself
your ability to perceive threat
is altered...

How could it not be
when you stand invincible
with bullet faster than than feet?

Trigger the safety
Trigger the gun
Trigger the switch
That makes them run.

Innocence stains the pavement red
insatiable blood lust fed
You be the man, you be the man

Now comfort the mother whose son you stole.
Lift up the father whose name dies at your hand.
Light extinguished
Darkness

How will you defend yourself in the shadows
Where your bullet has no eyes to see.
Next time will it be me…

If I should be fool enough to walk toward thee?


No doubt a popular subject for poets and their pens. World...we are better than this.  World...  we KNOW we are better than this...and as we slowly find the courage to let our voices be heard, the shift will come.  It's OpenLinkNight at dVersePoets...and once again they're trusting me with the keys. I'll be swinging the doors wide at 3pmEST. Hope to see you...I've got some making~up to do on that commenting trail Brian reigns over...will this be the week I finally manage to keep up? Guess you'll have to visit to see ;)

OpenLinkNight ~ Enter HERE

Comments

Very topical tash and so very true. The news recently has sickened me- that someone ccan just take someones life and then hide behind some ridiculous law. Some great flowing parts to this- i really like-

"How will you defend yourself in the shadows Where your bullet has no eyes to see. Next time will it be me…
If I should be fool enough to walk toward thee?"

we live in a crazy crazy world. Just the other day...about 2 hours from where i live- some guy poured acid over a woman pushing a baby in a pram- totally messed up.

Im a big believer in Karma- and as you put it your poem

'Never having to know the fear that comes when death marches behind you or chases you down and calls you threat'

these people will- eventually

Great write tash!
Maude Lynn said…
This moves beautifully. Great treatment of a painful, painful subject.
Brian Miller said…
def timely...in the face of the trayvon shooting...which i am honestly a bit torn over...do i think neighborhood watch should have guns, no...because it does change things...i dont know that we know the whole story and it is hard to tell what the spin doctors have going on with it just to prove their side..the more the story comes out the more convoluted it becomes...i will say this...if you pull a gun you better be prepared to use it, and if you pull the trigger, you better mean it...and the same goes for our words...
Pat Hatt said…
Trigger the safety was may favorite stanze, such truth in those words. The world is messed up and seems to continue to be, many nuts cases shouldn't have guns but they always find a way.
Anonymous said…
As usual you get me all riled up, I'll have to gnash my teeth and work towards being the change (which is a good, good thing). The young woman I mentor was homeless for several months before returning to jail and the world she inhabits MUST change. It seems that our young people are increasingly viewed as a threat to society. A state that issues licenses to carry concealed weapons, without probable cause! I'll stop here before I get really emotional, great work!
James Rainsford said…
A very topical piece Natasha. We've been getting the news of the Florida shooting here in the UK. Fortuately, our neighbourhood watch activists can only call the police, which would be a good thing, if the police ever responded. But they do also write angry letters about disaffeced youth to the local press.
Your poem is an accomplished write on a universal human dilemma, which sadly, sometimes has tragic consequences.
Great job - you address the topic, bring the principles, omit the names and have created something that will stand. Wonderful, powerful writing here. Glad I read it.
Great job - you address the topic, bring the principles, omit the names and have created something that will stand. Wonderful, powerful writing here. Glad I read it.
Daydreamertoo said…
Too many people reach for a weapon now instead of words.
Who is right or wrong remains to be seen. Hatred just breeds more of the same. I hope in young Trayvon's case the truth comes out one way or the other. There seems to be so much injustice about it all. I feel so sorry for his parents and other family and friends.
Painful subject.
Louise said…
Ah, there's been more shootings? I haven't seen the news...I actually thought you were writing about the middle East ...the stories about the snipers senselessly killing at random just sickens me...but, live by the sword, die by the sword....I believe in karma...thoughtful & very moving write, Natasha ..
mrs mediocrity said…
This is really well done, it is timeless and at the same time, pertinent.
I really like the cadence as well.

This world seems to get crazier and crazier, I think we all need to be the change we want to see, and it begins in our own homes, our own backyards.
Rachel Hoyt said…
Very well written! I still can't believe (though I CAN believe having grown up there) that many Arizonans said they would have been able to save Gabrielle Giffords from being shot if there had just been more guns on site.

That being said, I can certainly understand why some people want a gun and they do have the right. I just hope they are prepared to use it AND prepared to feel the consequtences.

Great poem!
Becky Sain said…
This is very strong, as always.
Change starts within...
Thank you for sharing and for hosting!
Kerry O'Connor said…
This is a topical theme and yet it never grows old - these words must be spoken.
Unknown said…
can never be said enough... reminds me of what's going on today... trayvon's death... it's 2012 and I'm living in a world where my mom is scared for me to wear a hoodie, and I have to be cautious bcus of my skin color... horrible. seems this world is going backwards...
hannah uk said…
Oh will they ever learn...

Bravely written with poignant word scenes.
When is seems that violence reigns what do we do? Find that power within...the courage to let our voices be heard as you say. I love the last four lines...very powerful. It helps us see how insane the situation is.
Timoteo said…
This past weekend, at a street fair here, thousands of miles away from Florida, marchers wearing hoodies were chanting the young victim's name.

The upside of this unfortunate incident, if there is any, is that we live in an age where news spans the globe in an instant. And when there is worldwide awareness, there can be worldwide outcry. So when we use our voices in this way--as you have done, Tash--it can bring about change.
Wolfsrosebud said…
...and they said sticks and stones would never hurt... perhaps, that's where it starts
Such a great write about a powerfully intense subject--I love the rhythm of this --
A good write, and yes, we live in an age of instant "information". What we must learn to do is realize that much of the information is slanted toward one side or the other. Tyically, we take the part that fits our own view and hold it up as truth. Too many times, we are being lied to and misled simply to forward someone's agenda. I make no asumptions and have no opinion regarding the case everyone is focused upon, because I wasn't there. I will not pass judgement nor make decisions based on what I hear, or what is "reported". The fact is, the truth will probably never be known, justice will probably never be served, but someone will take advantage of the two pawns in this case and move to take advantage of thier destroyed lives.
Zouxzoux said…
I completely agree with Marbles. Only 2 people know what really went down and one is dead and the other is living under the threat of death. It's a sad, sad situation.

A timely write that encourages contemplation.
henry clemmons said…
I identify more than you know from a few poems back. But my post this week is also similar to yours, or atleast in the neigborhood. I really enjoyed this. I loved the serious approach. I sat up and listened to each word and phrase. You held my attention! Great stuff.
Anonymous said…
You make this your own with unique imagery anf thought, powerfully emotive and wrenching! :)
hedgewitch said…
Great one, Natasha--I won't repeat what everyone else has already said, but speaking up is the single most important thing left to us now that money rules the world--and you only have to listen to the NRA (the gun lobby) to hear how that law came into being to shelter the bully and the psycho.
Unknown said…
amen sister ~ violence and the "arming" for will only beget that very energy...in our fear dominated world the thought of defense becomes aggravated offense and warps reality...thank you for putting words to it! ~ Rose
Scarlet said…
I like your voice Tash...very powerful and compelling. It saddens me to read about these stories but alas, these things shake and rattle our comfort, our home ~
Beachanny said…
I echo Joy. I live in a state where they are next to god. Every ol' pickup has a rack and woe be anyone who gets in the way. It's worse now than when I was young and single. People always had guns but there were fewer people here then. Sad times.
Claudia said…
ok..i know nothing about what happened with this boy...but i know that this is one passionate and strong write... also thanks for tending bar tonight and thanks for tagging me in..much appreciated..
Anonymous said…
Love this:

"Trigger the safety
Trigger the gun
Trigger the switch
That makes them run."

~Shawna
rosemarymint.wordpress.com
jackie dick said…
This poem is a powerful bullet sent straight to the heart of our Constitution. We need to abolish and / or change that amendment now! No more arms, no more guns! That amendment was written for a time that no longer exists. The poem itself is beautifully executed. Brava, Tash!
poetjanstie said…
Oh this was so needed, Natasha. As you say, any such event that catches the public eye, will spawn plenty of creative writing and sometimes vitriolic 'comment'. But this poem cuts to the quick and I truly like your style or poetry; it is compelling; it doesn't allow the reader to get bored at any point; keeps us on our toes.

Great writing.
Brendan said…
Great hashing out, Tash, of the topic du jour. I live 20 miles from the scene of the crime I think you refer to, in a state armed to the teeth because the divides between haves and have-nots are so sharp, and the airwaves are blitzed with incendiaries like Limbaugh and Fox News. I heard someone say recently that sociologists have shown that when people carry concealed weapons, they are much more likely to believe others are, too, and hence their perception of threat is greatly heightened toward a flashpoint that plays out in sad results and grievous consequences. You reach out with your heart and mind well to consider the tragedy. I won't buy a gun; it's scary enough without one. Good work. -- Brendan
Unknown said…
Very strong and painful.
Love your voice in here, it's so floaty yet the information makes you stop and break the flow in an acceptable way...
I hate guns.
Great work.
David Caruso said…
To echo what Kerry O'Connor said, it is both topical and timeless. Very strong writing.
Pity that we have to have these things for poetry to record and reflect
Ginny Brannan said…
Your words, thoughtful, well-written and definitely timely. Am with Brian on this one, two sides to every story, want to see how this plays out. Having just been on the receiving end of a "dressing down" from just saying "Shhhh" to some loud co-workers shouting back and forth early on a Saturday morning, told I was being "disrespectful" and "she didn't have to take that from me" (and I work in a nursing home, no less!), I can understand perceived "threat" over something "innocent" enough.
Am of the mind that if we "outlaw guns, only outlaws will have guns," but I believe stricter gun control legislation needs to be revised and enforced, and that rules need be applied--stricter background checks, certain training, maybe physiological profiles, that not everyone that wants a firearm should have one.
Very compelling and thought-provoking piece, Tash.
This ingenius poem brings to mind Trayvon Martin. As with most youth they see themselves as invincible. Yet, we know death is always "marching" as you so aptly suggests.

I am a huge fan of your artistry. Love your work.
Mihir Vatsa said…
Great message, well delivered. For me, S6 did the trick.

Do a check on S5 though, I sense a typo.

Nice experience, overall. :)
Unknown said…
Amazing piece Tash. Love the theme of course and all the reflection that comes due. But also the rhythm here is outstanding, changing to different rhythms throughout, very cool. What song is that in the first line, I know it's a take on the line pauper, a poet, a something a thief- I just can't peg the song down. Great write Thanks.
Uneven Stephen said…
Fantastic write, Natasha. If only those in power could think like you...
Semaphore said…
You are in your element here, in the poem as political manifesto. In such a composition your words ring like a strident, urgent call to arms.
Powerful piece, Natasha.

"Trigger the safety
Trigger the gun
Trigger the switch
That makes them run."

sheila said…
your words are more powerful than most guns. keep it up!

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