after a school shooting: the clean up crew
Sister Lou Ella Hickman
May 28, 2022
today
i want to write
about the cleanup crew
those who see what we do not
and perhaps never will:
the desks
the white boards
the closets
o yes and the floors
how do they feel
when they kneel down
to pick up the books
the lunch boxes
the artwork
scattered amid the chaos of blood
they must mop up
what do they feel
when they go home
when they open the door
when they sit in their easy chair
and drink their first stiff drink
Sister Lou Ella’s poems have appeared in numerous magazines as well as several anthologies. She was also a Pushcart nominee in 2017 and 2020. Press 53 published her first book of poetry entitled she: robed and wordless in 2015. She is a third-generation of four generations of teachers.
