by Leslie Maxwell Cook
(Detroit Michigan United States of America)
Now You Slay Me Down To Sleep...
We once were friendly neighbors who said hello, goodbye, thank you, and please,
Now we are attending funerals for our loved ones and asking,
"Why oh why Lord?” while praying for mercy in unison on our knees,
The days used to be filled with hope for tomorrow, dreams we dreamed in the comfort and safety of our homes,
We awakened every day giving thanks to God with prayers filled with enthusiasm and expectations of success from our plans all set with a roadmap to follow,
Somehow we now are locked down in our homes with windows covered with iron rod bars, speed dial set on 911, the front door closed tight in scalding heat of the summer,
Nothing but fear awaiting us as an unwelcomed friend
Always on its way too soon, too close, lurking as we are falling asleep,
We toss and turn and awake after little or no sleep,
from thinking about what harm waits outside the front door tomorrow for us to somehow defeat,
The prayers we shared as children begins,
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord, my soul to keep,
If I should die before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to take,
Those sentimental words of comfort, love, and safety we were taught, wrapped ourselves up so snug, knowing mom and daddy would be there to hug us, kiss us and rock us to sleep and watch over us with the angels until we did awake,
But now all we do is wail and weep as we see our family, friends and innocents attacked in their homes dragged, dismembered and scattered through the streets,
Echoes of animal like howls and hoots, as they smoke up, snort up, and shoot up their blood covered loot,
The prayer I share means the same but the words have had to change,
Because now you slay us down to sleep,
Killing, stabbing, raping a ninety year old grandmother while she sleeps,
Carjacking and stalking grocery shoppers and following them home,
Creeping up on innocent caregivers and their patients, elders, and retired contributors to our community as they enjoy their last days of peace on earth in their paid for homes,
Swallowing little girls, puppy dogs and carrying out hammer attacks on blind men walking alone bravely as cowards “Blitz attack”,
Like evil ghosts roaming up and down once docile and friendly neighborhood streets now turned war zone,
I'm offended,
Slayer, you pretended,
To be a part of our community,
Now you lay us down to sleep,
Lying, plotting, planning to execute us one by one if we do not resist, By exterminating violent predators, and the burned out homes and abandoned cars in which they sleep,
They will not stop breaking into our homes and hearts,
Until they are stopped in their tracks and put behind bars,
No more sympathy,
No more co-dependent gifts from the family money tree,
Using monstrous eye fluttering charms followed by excuses like they are a victim, nobody loves them, they were abused as a child and they cannot find a job they like so they justify a lifestyle based on a false sense of entitlement to rob, rape, steal,
Slayers forgot they will reap what they sew and they will be defeated by people of pure peace,
To torture, take, what others have worked for while they case our homes walking up and down the streets, while lookouts watch out on the corner awaiting their cut of pennies and a dollar,
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