Thursday, December 09, 2021

FAMILY PHOTO

by Rémy Dambron


The following poem comments on the deranged photos of Republican politicians and their children holding weapons of war.  We shall not post these photos. Instead, in union with  MeidasTouch.com, we memorialize the teens who were murdered recently in Michigan due to the Fascist fetishization of guns: Hana St. Juliana, 14, Tate Myre, 16, Justin Shilling, 17, Madisyn Baldwin, 17.


this year 
for christmas
a family poses 
in front of their sparkling tree

for a holiday picture with their loved ones:

mr. m60 as head of household
mrs. thompson semi-auto as his loyal wife
m16, m4, ar-15 as their model children
and of course their youngest, 
little uzi.

their white teeth shining 
through their grins with pride 
wishing us more than just a

“merry christmas”

their eyes ecstatic 
their appetites indulged
their hearts content  

together, their stockings waiting to be filled,
they ask santa:

“please bring us ammo”

together, fully loaded, 
their bullets will number in the hundreds.

together, fully loaded,
they can unleash holy hell in a matter of seconds.

together, unloading on our gaze,
they gloat 
they glorify
they galvanize.

merely days after the latest killing 
spree school day

together, for christmas,
they remind us

this is america.


Rémy Dambron is an English teacher and poet whose writing focuses on denouncing political corruption and advocating for social/environmental justice. With the help of his chief editor and loving wife, his works have appeared in What Rough Beast, Poets Reading the News, Writers Resist, Society of Classical Poets, Robot Butt, and New Verse News.