In Other News Aaron Pelletier Today I witnessed a television news broadcast
Today I was listening

The 1st story
A gang-related shooting
A 5-year-old boy is shot In the head and killed
Another relentless stray bullet finds its mark

The 2nd Story
A mother decides her child is less than human
Another baby aches to the sound of a dumpster lullaby
In the back of the old drive-in movie lot

The 3rd story
A man sets his house ablaze
With his wife and kids inside
The reporter didn't speak their names
The families first needed to be notified

The final story
A serial rapist
Arrested again
He tried to rape and strangle
An 11-year-old girl
Last I heard on this they let him go
Insufficient evidence
So they let him go again?

Such a sad story the newsman tells us
Still every single day we watch
The man with the chemically manipulated expression on his face
Begin to report
In other news …
I am empty inside…

Though his voice utters no such line
I’m beginning to see it in his eyes