Lawrence Hall
Mhall46184@aol.com  
https://hellopoetry.com/lawrence-hall/
poeticdrivel.blogspot.com

                             Children and Machine Gun Dreams

          By word and example…parents lead their children to
          authentic freedom, actualized in the sincere gift of self, and
          they cultivate in them respect for others, a sense of justice,
          cordial openness, dialogue, generous service, solidarity, and
          all the other values which help people to live life as a gift.

                     -St. John Paul the Great, Evangelium Vitae

Do we sing to our children machine gun dreams
Instead of sugar plums? Little sleepyheads
Now tucked away into their little beds
In matching camouflage blankies and sheets

Do children code messages to Santa asking him
For Barbie’s Bunker all accessorized
With guns and knives properly pint-sized
And Super ****** Skipper and Recon Ken?

Do children hide bayonets beneath their coats
And measure the distance to their classmates’ throats?