We are all under a sentence of death.
We are all on death row. This Earth is
a condemned cell with gray skies.
Cancer brings our calls for clemency.
An accident cripples and we invoke
God’s healing help, our voices fervent.
A gunman opens fire in our school and
we leap for cover, pray for one more
day, as bullets spray all around.
For the victims, we hold memorials,
create scholarships in their names,
to mask our elation that we live.
We stoop in guilt, steeped in the dogma
we are the Chosen Ones. But we have
done the choosing, Hell over God.