The body of another innocent found,
thrown upon a trash heap
as though her life did not count.

My stomach becomes an old wringer-style washer
as we hear how she was found, and the churning
bile then rises in my throat as my anger

is wrung out, and then hung out to die,
but die it will not, for I can no longer rely
on platitudes like bad things happen to good people,

I can no more be silent while his most recent victim
cries out for justice, and his future sacrifice to the demons
within scream help me, save me, don’t let her fate be mine.

I hear their cries echoing in my head,
I want my mommy, daddy come save me,
I don’t want to be dead.

The fear foisted upon me by this monster is vile,
and I am suffocating from the evil,
my breathing shallow and swallowing tears

I pray, forgive us, Oh, God, for the perverseness
of some men is great, that they would so easily
snuff out the life of one so small, and so sweet.

Can we be redeemed when such malevolence exists?
Can we be forgiven, or will this condition persist?
I want to save them, I want to protect them all.