Kristy Snedden

Concealed Weapons

We’ve all walked into the wall

of hatred we’ll never understand.

Last week I wanted my black dog back

more than anything.

Some nights I switch on the deck light

just to see the moths gather. I like company

after someone hates on me, even if

it’s only the evening news. How do we make noise

in the abyss of social media? The sounds of bombs

and sirens ring forever in the war, kids,

and when we acknowledge this, it is hard

not to be afraid. One of the scariest times

is when my cop client refuses to leave his weapon

in the car, when he explains that for all he knows

I may be carrying, concealed somewhere,

may be carrying a gun, a bomb,

when all I have is the audacity of tenderness.

Kristy Snedden is a trauma psychotherapist and poet. Her poetry appears or is forthcoming in various print and electronic journals and anthologies. Her work has been nominated for Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize. She writes poetry to connect with others. In her free time, she loves hiking in the Appalachian Mountains near her home in Georgia and hanging out listening to her husband and their dogs tell tall tales. You can follow her on Instagram @kristy_snedden_poetry.