Playing with the other children fights start
Mother left you to play for a moment
Forever weighing heavy on her heart
A shopping trip that two parents lament

Shyness prevented you from speaking out
When security told kids to disperse
Standing all alone with both fear and doubt
And tragically your story got much worse

Your tragedy drove a grieving father
To save other children who went missing
Legislation was passed in your honor
Nothing saddens like kids disappearing

With a lasting impact on a nation
Parenting changed from harsh realization


© Christopher Chronister  12-5-24

Another moment of me dealing with where I’m at
Needing to feel grounded and knowing that I’m still here
Xeroxing more functional versions of myself
Intruding on personally perceived reality
Emotional states then carry me away
Time simultaneously crawls and speeds, adding to my panic.
Yielding to feelings of helplessness

© 11/9/24, Christopher Chronister

Attempting to pull someone you love out
Extending your hand during the descent
Remembering love. the voice halts the shout
Yet feeling guilty for what you lament

I struggle to hold things together now
Panic and depression are feeding me
Wanting to cry for help but don't know how
Wondering what people around me see

Trying to reconcile both of our pain
There is no denying that we both hurt
About to leave but love has me refrain
Needing screams without sounding an alert

Acknowledging struggles I remain strong
Feeling whatever action I take is wrong

© 2024, Christopher Chronister

Activities are taken for granted
Levels of trusting in entertainment
What happens when the trust is supplanted
When child safety should be the attainment

You loved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
And enjoyed playing flag football with friends
Now a community faces hurdles
After the tragedy of young life ends

Five years is not a long time on this Earth
But you made your mark on all you had met
With a family loving you since birth
Something Maryland should never forget

Declan, in your playful jumps to the moon
Heaven received an angel way too soon

© Christopher Chronister 8/5/2024

Refusing to catch a film with my dad
I had more important things to do then
Constantly arguing and being mad
Protecting the reputation of men

Not sure we ever forgave each other
For growing up and for getting older
Former best friends fighting under cover
An audacity to become bolder

A childhood of amazing memories
Which cannot be dismissed as nostalgia
Turned into teenaged years of fantasies
And an emotional diaspora

In struggling to be a better son
Being a father can help me be one

©  Christopher Chronister 09/18/2023

You were always missed while you were away
We assumed if there was time to make up
Certainly we would have another day
Today I will drink from a guilty cup

I ponder my availability
Did I extend my hand often enough
If teasing occurred over empathy
Projecting the image of being tough

Today on my mind like never before
Was there failure in communication
Could I have reached out to my dear friend more
I'll end my letter with hesitation

Now praying there is indeed a heaven
When eight feels longer than twenty-seven

After only five short years on this Earth
Your young life was tragically ended
Forced to enact resilience since birth
Abused when a parent was offended

Thinking on your great possibilities
General wasn't allowed to command
The world was robbed of your abilities
As a child was denied a loving hand

Questioning everything worldly I kneel
Darkness descends as light flickers away
Hearts fragmented from this story will heal
Tearful eyes dry while other children play

Heaven's population is adjusted
When children are hurt by those they trusted

©  Christopher Chronister, March 2022