another name added
to the list,
another life taken
by hands that
forget to look
before they forget
to stop.

"he was a monster"
you say.
"he was a ****"
you say,
as if you've
known him
for years and years
instead of seconds,
as if you've spent
more moments with him
than the time between
you aiming the blow
and his heart stopping.

everyone knows
you can take away a life
with a gun and your hands
but no one talks about
how you've already
killed a human being
when you treat them
less than human.