Chalk Outlines

Chalk on the pavement
Outlines the little boys hand
And just out of reach
Another outline
The chalk he was holding
The rest of his body has been outlined too
Twisted and mangled

This scene plays out on the sidewalk
In front of my house
The tracing is of my oldest boy
There is a large area in red
Spilling outside the chalked lines
And all of this was done
By the hands of his little brother and sister

I am standing here quite disturbed and confused
Wondering why they would do this to him
I know when they walk down the street
They come across this scene far too often
It is hard for a young child to understand
Somebody has died, been removed from this earth
Never to grace their friends and family
With their company again
The outline was as good as any other that I have ever seen
And the chalking of blood staining the street
Makes me think of Monet
Because the texture of the concrete
Has forced the pool to appear with the brush strokes
Of a great impressionist

An impression is definitely being left in brain
As I stand with my arm on the shoulder
Of my oldest son, the victim
While his brother and sister stand beaming and proud
Over their masterpiece of life on streets
I have often heard it said that life imitates art
But for children growing up in this day and age
It is becoming all to clear that art all-to-often imitates life
I have been trying to remove myself
From this hard and cold fact
To stand with my three children and be proud of
Their ill-conceived artwork
And yet, I remain disturbed, and sadden too.
The only thing I can think of to say to them is
You better sweep that away before your mother
Comes outside and sees what you have done
Because if you don’t, surely then, there will be hell to pay
And all three of you may wish you were dead

Tags: Channeled, Spoken Word