Compassion

We can’t mourn
before we’re asked 
to mourn again.
We can’t grieve before
we have to believe
it’s happened
again.

We can’t catch our breaths
before the deaths 
accumulate.
It’s far too late.
Far too late.

And all the while
some carry on and smile
in some acceptance
of the norm.
We can’t live our
lives worrying,
I’m told.

But when we will grasp
that our inability 
for empathy
holds us back
from being 
the very kind of people
our children lack.

Compassion is the compass
that will guide us 
to a place not far
if we’re brave enough to 
hold compassion
behind our teeth
and in our hearts.