My heart just hurts. All the violence. The shootings in Orlando, a local hostage situation in my hometown, more unwarranted shootings of black men, more officers killed. It's too much-all this senseless violence.

A few days ago, I told my son that the police are our friends. Even as I said it, I wondered if my black friends tell their children the same. I asked my co-worker what she will tell her daughter. She told me she isn't sure yet. She said she knows it's different because the child is a girl, though. My black male friend posted on Facebook that he is thinking about how he and his peers have to fear this same fate. These were the thoughts that enveloped my day.

As I drove home from work this afternoon, I passed a bank with flags at half-mast (or whatever the correct terminology). I usually pay attention to that and even sometimes google to see the reason. I assume today that the flags were because of the police officers killed and wounded not so far from my hometown. Not a whole block away was parked a pickup truck with an American flag, a "Come and Take It" flag, and a confederate flag.

 This sight is all too typical here, but it created so much anger and hurt for me today. I normally get angry at the sight anyway, but today with the recent violence, it was just too much. Thankfully, I'm a nonviolent person and try to channel my anger into productive exercises. So I wrote a poem (and then a blog post).

Confederate Flag in Amarillo

I drive down the road

And see the flag half down

Further still and I see

What makes me frown

No. More than frown.

How dare you?

How dare you fly that?

While people lay dying?

People are dead.

People are crying.

While on your truck bed

That flag you are flying.

That emblem of hate.

Of war against a people.

You proudly display it

As heritage and history.

I say it hurts hearts

It drives violence.

You say it is harmless

But you’re speaking into silence.

Speaking over the bodies of those

Gone before.

Speaking of dangerous

Lies and harmful lore.

Take it down.

Take down the rhetoric and hate.

While we mourn the dead.

Take down what has hurt so many.

What has started and ended wars.

Leave our community to heal.

Hate has no place here.

In the yellow city.