Gunshot stain
on a tranquil town

Fear locks the doors at night
when once they were left open

To strangers and neighbors alike
to warm by hearth fires
and share a kind meal

Small town gossip
frozen stiff and cold
as the housewife corpse
on a manicured lawn

Blood-soaked flower garden

No one sleeps now
No one smiles now

No children playing
No faithful praying

Time stands still
on the main street corner
of a community in shell shock

Caught unprepared
for the grim reality
of human nature.