The Times

Sixty-seven students dead in Chicago.

Samantha is too young to keep her shoes tied.
She drags them up the concrete bricks,
climbs using the bottom rung of the handrail.
Her sign hangs and slopes like her open mouth
at the tedious protest her mother brought her to.

Violence in Guinea!: 157
“More troops!” says McCain.
In New York there is an election runoff.

Susan sits behind a desk labeled
"info" with a piece of scotch tape.
She’s been working the polls.
Her nametag is clipped like a lapel pin
to her star spangled sweater.

A bomb in Iraq!: 9
“More troops?” says America.
Sixty-seven children dead in Chicago.

But it's not revelation, just statistics,
and Chicago is analyzing them, wondering:
can they save Samantha from her city?

Gangs in Chicago!: 67
“More troops.” says Obama.
In New York John Lin is celebrating.

On September 29th, eight in a hundred
eligible liabilities came to vote again.
2% of 8,000,000 claimed a stake in their city.

Only 56 were killed by Guinean soldiers,
at least according to the Guinean government.

Just 9 people died when a bomb exploded
in the middle of an Iraqi marketplace.

A mere 67 dead in Chicago
during a school year when over 500 were shot.

“Slow day, huh?” says the only voter to Susan.
“Don't shoot. I want to grow up,” says Samantha’s sign.

Not much different here. Turns out it didn't need to be coherent to have an unexpected power.