Headline
by Renee Carter Hall


Every day, it shows up on my doorstep:
Two men shot because they hugged each other.
Children used as instruments of war.
I read it, recycle it, try to forget.

Two men shot because they hugged each other.
Freedom of the press reports the price of freedom.
I read it, recycle it, try to forget
the four-year-old's eyes, the grief of sons and mothers.

Freedom of the press reports the price of freedom:
fighting for faith, no hope left for peace.
The four-year-old's eyes--the grief of sons and mothers--
Wonder what the next day's news will bring

Fighting for faith, no hope left for peace,
children used as instruments of war
wonder what the next day's news will bring.
Every day, it shows up on my doorstep.






Copyright © 2024 by Red River Review. First Rights Reserved. All other rights revert to the authors.
No work may be reproduced or republished without the express written consent of the author.