if there is a heaven I declare
everybody gets to go
although it may not be
all singing, all dancing
murderers will meet their victims there
those who have been waiting for them
and not, I think, just the face to face
murderers of passion or
those with diseased minds
who killed innocent strangers
but the presidents and kings
who ordered murder from
their soft palaces
the murdered will line up and
patiently wait their turns
(they have the time)
in the cases of Hitler and Stalin,
Truman and Caesar,
Queen Victoria and Genghis Khan,
George Bush, and other mass killers
the lines will be quite long
and each murdered one will
tell their life
and the life they didn’t have
but wanted
and the murderer must listen
and ask questions and
answer them
and discuss it until the murdered
one is satisfied
and every story will break their heart
as only a heart in heaven can break
over and over,
until the murdered dead are satisfied, every one
and the murderer will then stand
alone with his heart
full of pain
as only a heart in heaven can be
and know.
Jerald Pope