When you are done
wringing your hands
over spilled blood and
split bones, perhaps
you should look down
and see that the same blood
has puddled around your shoes
where it fell from your own hands.
When you are done
weeping over the plight
and the pain and the history
of some big bitter words, perhaps
you can check to see
if your face is as red
as your hands were
when you were wringing them out.
When you are done
commiserating and thanking
and shoulder-clutching over
how bad it is, perhaps
you might set that shoulder
to the juggernaut’s wheel
where it sits lodged in the mud
that’s so red and deep now
from your wringing and weeping;
then, despite getting sloppy,
despite being scared, perhaps
you might push on it and see if it moves,
even a little.