Thoughts and Prayers

Racist terror

thoughts and prayers

Basest error

thoughts and prayers

Crossing, drowning

thoughts and prayers

Solemn, frowning

thoughts and prayers

Thoughts and prayers

and sad reactions

Thoughts and prayers

but rarely actions

Stabbed and killed

thoughts and prayers

Life unfulfilled

thoughts and prayers

Death in prison

thoughts and prayers

No decision

just thoughts and prayers

Thoughts and prayers

respectful silence

Thoughts and prayers

and yet more violence

Killer storms

thoughts and prayers

Global warming 

thoughts and prayers

Climate chaos

thoughts and prayers

Recycled pathos

thoughts and prayers

Thoughts and prayers

and resolutions

Thoughts and prayers

but no solutions

Thoughts and prayers

and bare exchanges

Thoughts and prayers

but nothing changes

They've bought up shares

in thoughts and prayers

© Janine Booth

After Christchurch, Muslims need more than just your thoughts and prayers

Janine Booth - [Website: Janine Booth]

Janine lives in Hackney, East London. She writes and performs poetry, and has had three slim volumes of poetry published. Janine posts poems and political polemics on her website.

What shall we do with him?

What shall we do with him? We shall not speak his name.

No stage for his infamy, no soap box for his claims.

One - Bring back the death penalty for hate crimes this vile.

Two - Dispense with the time and cost of trial.

After all what is the point of dragging this out.

The manifesto, the live stream, establish beyond doubt.

That he, we shall not speak his name.

Is guilty, guilty, guilty of this terrible shame.

He has shown no remorse and no repentance

So, I propose, that we move straight to sentence

Just as he did on that darkest day

Murder in his mind, when he set out to slay

Deny him a platform, deny him a voice

Don’t give him an option, don’t give him a choice

Don’t waste one bent penny or one red cent 

Keeping him warm, dry and fed in a secure apartment

Don’t allow this bitter, spiteful narcissist

To become a beacon for other extremists

Erase him from history an unmarked grave

The good things we could do with the money we save

Tear down the barricades between race and creed

Build byways and bridges and plant a seed

Promote diversity, unify our communities

Build a memorial to peace, love and unity

© John McDonough

Christchurch shootings: Ardern vows never to say gunman's name

John has been writing poetry for 30 years. His style is urban/performance poetry. He subtitles his spoken word for the benefit of the hard of hearing and those that struggle with dialect, John's is Mancunian.