I heard an owl tonight

Who, who, who

In the alley of the ER

With a Spanish curled “r”

Falling gently on the night

Behind the hum of fans

Flipped back and forth

In the rapids of a thunderstorm

When teenagers slept

And meetings concluded

Perhaps a mother pulled young close

And serenaded all the mothers

Falling gently to sleep

With their safe children

Held in safe embraces

In their safe houses

In a neighborhood now quiet of abusers

And their dangerous anger addictions

In the absence of abusers

I heard a calling

And I responded

Thank you

Who, who, who?

they kept asking

And it went on like that

The millions of us calling to each other

In waves of weeping

Both in sorrow and joy

For their children’s children

Because it goes on like that

Because it goes on like this :

Some survive

Where others don’t

And the women

And the children

Know

And scratch and claw

To rise above a scorched and cracking earth

And they cannot rejoice enough

Their survival.