THERE’S AN EMPTY SEAT IN THE CLASSROOM

There’s an empty seat in the classroom,

Where a child once sat and dreamed,

But it never once occurred to the child,

That men of ill-will scheme.

The finger of blame is needle-sharp,

I know it sounds absurd,

When a point is made the price is paid,

But no one says a word.

The maladies from Piper’s syringe,

Will lead our youth away,

Mothers’ protests go unheard,

All folk can do is pray.

A bullet is a bullet,

And a bayonet is a spear,

But steel-tipped too is a lethal syringe,

And deafness in the ear.

There’s an empty seat in the classroom,

We know where the blame must lie,

But no one dares to speak its name,

In silence, we must die.

Mícheál Walsh Poetry

December 20 2022

Mícheál Walsh