On Behalf Of Other Murderers Poem by Raj Dronamraju

We who feed the machine with our force of efforts
And a share of what we produce given under law
We are part of a murderer's collective
A degree of responsibility removed from the direct action of the triggerman but we are still culpable

My best friend is a murderer, my wife is a murderer, my parents are murderers, my co-workers are murderers
Everyone I know is a murderer
We share this responsibility as much as we share the necessity of breathing

It doesn't matter how this is outsourced - who's giving the orders, who's digging the grave, who's wielding the machete
You and your wallet help with the assigning, command and control
By just concentrating on herding your life, gathering things, mixing and matching until you have the right combination pressed together like billiard balls prior to the break
You become responsible through your direct lack of knowledge about what is being done in your name

You left your gate open and something vicious escaped
Something viscous took over the streets
Something vicious coming back for your support
And you wonder why there's blood staining your attempts at finding greater love and meaning

Perhaps they were expecting an apology
But apologizing is un-American
And an apology would be a bizarre insult, one cannot conceive of an apology adequate enough for those that have died under your name

So on behalf of the other murderers, I offer identity not as absolution of guilt but as recognition of responsibility
In a pig out time, we fast from history
But the man in the white house is you
That's the murderer who won an election against another murderer