divinity just now

Minnesota
Ukraine
Gaza
Yemen
Venezuela
Tibet
Myanmar

these are where the people die
plus we know
all
the places with more occasional violence
states through all
of
lifetime dissolutions
one or one or by a thousand
or a
million

how do we justify
how does
someone rationalize annihilation if by
cause
cessation of life by will not of
the owner and
who
by
crime or murderous politics is uncounted
undeserving

and who is pro-life
pro-choice
who
loves what’s organic and complexly so
with
names and acknowledged spirits

or do some in horror
deign
that the lives of those we declare righteous to kill
are
somehow less than us
and our agents
though disrespect is for the agents
too
and how they’re ordered to
disrespect the lives
the soul
of anyone

tragic places
and the Earth is splitting over crises
not
that God does not allow
humanity and nature
to show
each other
teach each other
how
to turn

c l couch


photo by Dave Hoefler on Unsplash
Burning Down the House [photographer’s title]