They made the front page

That is what their lives are worth

Headlines splashed across recycled paper

A short commentary.

The length of the commentary

mirroring the span of their lives

A brief mention, a short stay on earth

Their only crime

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A sad comment on society

The degradation of a people extending its hands

Man down to the level of untamed beast

Innocence cut down with brutal claws.

Anguished tears over lives unlived

What on earth can any headline give

To the grieving souls

Who seek to fill two gaping spaces

In their despondent hearts.