Wait

I understand the impulse
overwhelming concern for ‘me’ and ‘mine’
the rush to text, call, check
on our loved ones
quite possibly in harm’s way

but I wish
before we did that
we would stop
take a moment
to feel the fear

it’s probably no one that we know
but it is someone dearly loved
struck down
lost life or limb
in senseless violence

before we let out that sigh of relief
I wish we would hold our breath
to somehow, for just a moment
bear up the losses
of our fellow humans

instead of later
like some puny afterthought
empathy after the fact