driven by a need for acceptance
fueled by a desire for an identity
too young to know the difference
too old to be excused for his folly
swept up in the urgency of the moment
grasping the one solid object in his possession
he enters the store, gun drawn
too young no more
too old, too soon
fueled by the power at his command
driven by the fear of discovery
taking the life held in his hand
gathering his meager bounty
he flees from the scene
once a warmth in his hand
now a burning in his mind
this cold realization
life taken from another
does not add to his own
a life of little prospect
stares him in the face
sixteen, sitting on a curb
beneath a streetlight
bottle unopened by his side
not worth the price
gun lying at his feet
head held in his hands
wrong turn in this rite of passage
Ken Gierke is retired and lives in Missouri. His poetry has been published or is forthcoming both in print and online in such places as The Rye Whiskey Review, Poetry Breakfast, Amethyst Review, Silver Birch Press, Rusty Truck, Trailer Park Quarterly, The Gasconade Review, and River Dog Zine. He is a Pushcart Prize nominee, and his poetry collections, Glass Awash in 2022, Heron Spirit in 2024, Random Riffs in 2025, and The Long Haul in 2026 have been published by Spartan Press. His website: https://rivrvlogr.com/
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