“One man with a gun can control 100 without one.” — Vladimir Lenin

• Evolved over the centuries to kill,
• The gun is mankind’s best friend
• It takes a whole, breathing life
• And tears it to tatters in an instant’s rend
• Saddam Hussein had a gold-plated AK-47
• He marveled in its utility
• The average American family has one in the closet
• It’s known for its brutality
• Bullets scatter on the floor like diamonds
• Their curved heads glitter in the light
• If ever you stare down a gun’s bore in the flesh
• It will mean for you the approaching, all-encompassing night
• Sing a song to death
• Make a paean to the moving target
• To eliminate a foe is not a conscience-laden moment
• Not something to even a bit regret
• Life is like a whorled, multicolored shell
• Even when it puts us through hell
• It waits for us to get well
• And tell the secrets we will tell