Tell me we’re not doing this
Another senseless killing
Of her, an unarmed citizen
(as if papers confer worth)
By a power-tripping officer
Less than a mile from the spot
Now renamed in memorandum
George Perry Floyd Avenue
Where a man’s life ended
At the hands of another
Tell me we’re not doing this
Brazen presidential replay
Elected and in rampage
Now the villain poster child
For the #metoo movement
For stoking insurrections
For dehumanizing the other
Eyes reduced to dollar signs
As he rips apart governments
Others and our own
Tell me we’re not doing this
New week, new religious teacher
To join the ever-growing ranks
Of power baptized as ministry
Like it was a perk of the job
Confession timed like severance
Just in time for retirement
Some legacy to leave
What, indeed, is so
Amazing about Grace, here?
Tell me we’re not doing this
Searing news cycle déjà vu
Sensational but stale
There’ll be scandals on at nine
With raids and strikes
On the nightly news
Have we learned nothing?
Can anyone actually change?
What does this do to your soul?
Kýrie, eléēson
Tell me we’re not doing this
Another senseless killing
Of one most innocent
At the unchecked hands
Of political power shepherded
By the most religious teachers
On a hell-bent power trip
To “save the name of God”
From the blasphemy of a
Bruised-reed-tending
Messiah
We are always doing this—again
Maddison Fritz is a Family Nurse Practitioner and a Doctor of Nursing Practice student in Health Systems Leadership. Her work and writing sit at the intersection of healthcare, faith, and public life, with particular attention to moral injury, lament, and community responsibility.
Unbound Social