Colin Halloran
American Etiquette
They told us not to talk politics
so we pack our frustrations
in pipe bombs
and send them across the aisle.
They told us not to talk religion
so we load our questions
into twenty round magazines
and fire them at those we do not understand.
They told us not to talk about race
so we shut ourselves off
we fail to connect, until round by round
we unload our anger in supermarkets.
We model this example we were told
so when two high school boys disagree
they reach for weapons, not words
until one is in jail and one in the ground.
No need for discourse means
no need for civility. We do not talk
and our silence
begets silence.
Colin D. Halloran is a United States Army veteran who documented his experiences in Afghanistan in his memoir-in-verse Shortly Thereafter (Mint Hill Books, 2012), winner of the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award. He is also the author of the poetry collection Icarian Flux (Main Street Rag, 2015). His poems, essays, and short stories have been appeared in many publications. When not writing, Halloran leads workshops that seek to promote personal and international healing and reconciliation through writing and the arts.
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