'Hibiscus’ Message' by Ravyn LaRue

He held the carnations tight
between his index finger and thumb
And he rooted it safely
within the barrel of the gun

He returned its stem
to mineral-made gunpowder from which it once grew
In hopes of preserving
the spirit of what is true

The sergeant uprooted a flower from his gun
But the message had been sent
All our good had been done

The gunman’s soul had already been saved
Since it’s better planting flowers there
than on our own children’s graves

Hibiscus’ message
had already been preached
And their ironclad hearts
had already been reached