a drought of murders
at first no one noticed
a day went by
and then another
a third
a week
but by then people had noticed
the police took credit
which I suppose was fair
no murders meant they had not killed anyone
any more than the rest of us had
a prophet claimed god did it through him
in one city then another
mayors explained
a second week went by
a month
the feds told us they had done it
their diligence had finally paid off
and, yes, they too killed no one
by accident or on purpose
and a second month passed
people refused to talk about it
except for the officials claiming credit
a third month passed
a news commentator mentioned that this was a little eerie
and was shamed with much opprobrium
month four went by
people complained of bankers’ usury
and landlord rents
politicians devised new taxes of course
a holiday was canceled
because in other years it hosted many murders
we reached the half year mark
a governor praised us for having become a better people
more thoughtful and considerate, more accommodating
someone wrote a new hymn celebrating god’s mercy
even though people still died
car accidents
cancer
normal diseases
it wasn’t guns
they still sold briskly
and people like me still practiced at target ranges
children still killed themselves
especially boys
with the same eager inventiveness
we reached a year
the president quietly celebrated it
without assigning blame or credit
I cannot say tension mounted
we had no instrument to measure such a thing
but four hundred days had passed without a murder
and no one mentioned the historic interlude
but mothers hugged their children fearfully
managers hired bodyguards
celebrities often stayed home
the royal families stayed indoors
but no one said a thing out loud
no one printed any comments either
and then like any drought ends
the rains came
people went back to killing each other
like it was normal
and everyone breathed relief
no one threw a party of course
but people laughed again
and scared babies with the new sound
governors congratulated one another
but vaguely, with no specifics
and cops went back to work
with a vengeance
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