Gunshots Don’t Ring Out

Gunshots Don’t Ring Out

Gunshots don’t ring out.
Don’t say they do.
Gunshots blast and tear.
They rip the fabric of the air.
They shock the ear.
Not a bell’s toll – that comes after –
but a whip snap,
a stinging, piercing thunderclap.

No, gunshots don’t ring out.
Don’t say they do.
Gunshots explode,
bringing agony and fear.
But still, take heart, that sound
has some hope in it, too,
because, they say, you never hear
the shot that kills you.

Ken Zimmerman 2022