What Price Is Life? Part One. Poem by PAUL COLVIN

Broken hearts and shattered dreams
A war on want, is what it seems.
A woman grieves, she mourns her son,
His young life ended, by the gun.

She looks to God, The Lord above,
The same God of eternal love.
She seeks an answer to this crime,
A young boy dead, before his time.

Reciprocate this crime uncouth,
An eye for eye and tooth for tooth.
When will this killing ever end?
A son is lost, his mum’s best friend.

Why this teenage killing spree,
A worrying time, that’s plain to see.
Youngsters, some, who have no brain
Just get a gun when friends are slain.

They brandish them in light of day
Parade their wares, where children play.
These lowlife scum are out to shock
As flailing bullets wreak havoc.

What chance is there with these young thugs
Tooled up at twelve and taking drugs?
A young boy’s brain, can’t stand the pace
But him, he sees, a gangland race.

Respect? Come on! They’ll lose street cred.
At school, drives teacher off his head.
A fight at school is not the same
It’s now with knives, a killing game.

The families are fraught with grief
They thought their sons had self-belief.
They tried their best, in their own way
But on the streets, they have no say.

This can’t go on, we all agree
It’s headline news, for all to see.
Discussed at work and schools alike;
These killing fields, patrolled by bikes.