Pow.Pow.Pow...Pow! ! Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

An intoxicated greed made so intense,
A sobering to detox from it...
Is becoming 'thisclose' to be considered,
A federal offense.
And compared to nicotine, alcohol...
Or drugs claimed to be unlawful,
But miraculously made easy to get...
The feeding of greed has taken minds,
On expensive and far from cost effective trips.

The seeds are planted and everywhere harvested.
Not a thought is given to crediting a fix.
'I'm sorry. Is that card maxed out? I have another.'
So dangerous has greed and selfishness become,
Parents today are shopping for guns...
In the hopes to protect against any signs of threats.
Marketed to heighten fears of losing what's possessed.
To then have guns purchased and engraved,
As a surprise for each one of their children.
Even those much too young.

'Pow.Pow.Pow...POW! !
Daddy? When am I going to be old enough,
To put real bullets in my new gun? '

~Maybe I will teach you that,
After you leave pre-school.
And your first day of kindergarten has begun.~

'Pow.Pow.Pow...POW! ! '

~And...
After you learn not to point your gun at daddy.~

'Promise? '

~Promise.~

'I hope all my friends get guns.
Especially Bobby.'

~Why Bobby? ~

'He 'pretends' to shoot me,
All the time.'

~You kids don't know how to play.
Like we did at your age.~

'LOL. Daddy? You so funny.'