We will not be armed.

We will not be armed.
We are peacefully securing
the inner gated perimeter
to allow them to feel at ease.

We will not be armed.
We are peacefully securing
our inner gated perimeter
to allow ourselves to feel at ease.

We will not be armed.
We are peacefully securing
our inner gated perimeter
because we hold the responsibility for our own inner place.

I will not be armed.
I am peacefully securing 
my inner gated perimeter, my child-heart,
to allow myself to live.

This poem was inspired by a quote from Sonny Fatu, biker gang leader in Waikato, New Zealand, following the atrocity in Christchurch mosques 2019