What rhymes these times?
Crimes…
Crimes against children,
crimes against countries,
crimes against the earth,
crimes against humanity,
crimes against plum blossoms
crimes against oak trees,
crimes against polar bears,
crimes against dolphins,
crimes against hummingbirds,
crimes against bees.
Crimes against science,
crimes against curiosity,
crimes against evidence,
crimes against sanity,
crimes against love,
crimes against empathy,
crimes against kindness,
crimes against decency,
crimes against books,
crimes against literacy,
crimes against art,
crimes against beauty.
Crimes by fascism,
crimes by empire,
crimes against our lives,
crimes against our future.
The murder of a mother, the murder of a poet
this crime against you, Renee,
a crime against our hearts─
rhymed by rage, rhymed by sadness,
rhymed by millions of us in the streets
rising up, rhyming up
to put an end to this madness.