At nine PM on New Year’s Day 2020, it’s quiet in my neighborhood.
Two earsplitting reports in quick succession rip the peace: POP-POP. A second or two of silence, then one more: POP.
I recall an old cartoon in which a man says, “False alarm, everyone! It’s just gun shots. For a moment I thought it was a car backfiring.”
I switch off my lights and window-peep into the unyielding darkness.
The incident is unresolved. The reality, however, is that what sounds like gunfire now probably is. That’s where we are where I live.
(c) 2020 JMN
About JMN
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.
EthicalDative 
One-One-Twenty-Twenty
At nine PM on New Year’s Day 2020, it’s quiet in my neighborhood.
Two earsplitting reports in quick succession rip the peace: POP-POP. A second or two of silence, then one more: POP.
I recall an old cartoon in which a man says, “False alarm, everyone! It’s just gun shots. For a moment I thought it was a car backfiring.”
I switch off my lights and window-peep into the unyielding darkness.
The incident is unresolved. The reality, however, is that what sounds like gunfire now probably is. That’s where we are where I live.
(c) 2020 JMN
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About JMN
I live in Texas and devote much of my time to easel painting on an amateur basis. I stream a lot of music, mostly jazz, throughout the day. I like to read and memorize poetry.