Jane Yolen
So much to unpack,
there will be piles
of history littering
the school room floor,
the corridors red with blood.
But just begin with these:
regular, conforming.
premeditated and prescribed ,
dictated and derived,
apply as needed.
His way with violence
already conceded.
Bleed when appropriate.
Leave when ready.
Steady.
Aim.
Fire.
Don’t look back.
He has a gun.
Just scream in silence
And then
just
run.
***
Jane Yolen’s 380th published book is about to come out. She sends out poems to journals on a regular basis and has quite a few in sf/fantasy magazines as well. She is a Grand Master of SFPA (Science Fiction/Fantasy Poets of America), as well as a Grandmaster of SFWA and World Fantasy Assn. She has won the Nebula two times, Mythopoeic Award three times, and been nominated (but never won) for the Hugo several times. Six colleges & universities have given her honorary doctorates for her body of work.