true fear

i remember astounded silence, the backdrop of sirens, the stifling gravity of the situation, the descriptions, the rising death toll, the speculations, the details,

the dead bodies I cannot fathom,

I can’t think of not being able to tell where the bikes start and the bodies end

bikes dented like Play-Doh

bodies mangled like rag dolls

the only thing I can think of walking home, is that these unsuspecting,

trick-or-treating children will never know true fear until their life flickers in front of them.