by Diana Morley
 |
A 13-year-old Michigan boy who used a slingshot to save his 8-year-old sister from an attempted kidnapping said he was “freaking out” and simply reached for something that could stop the attack. “So I grab my slingshot and open the window and I grab two things—a marble and a gravel rock or something,” Police said Owen struck the 17-year-old assailant in the head and chest, and his sister was able to get away. —AP, May 19, 2023 |
No semi-automatic rifle
but a simple slingshot
grabbed by a young teen
saved his younger sister
being abducted. A sturdy
wooden Y the why of her
escape—of stopping
the large target wounded
by a rock and a marble.
The boy a marvel today
who instead of grabbing
his cell phone for a photo
‘freaked out’ at seeing evil.
A girl’s scream, a window,
a thirteen-year-old boy with
a slingshot, rock and marble.
A biblical story played out
in Michigan—unusual—
but sure did tip the scales
for we the people at a loss
for words over sick shooters
still protected by politics.
Diana Morley has published poems online and in journals as well as two books of poetry and a photographic/poetic documentary of Oregon’s 2020 wildfire and renewal. She writes and resides in North Carolina.