once, twice, three times,
then in the parking lot
of the plant where he worked
(all thought happily).
The sheriff, like in the old west,
stepped through the doors
and ended the gun battle
precisely and completely.
And there is mourning
for this fourth victim,
the perpetrator himself,
because people knew him,
and cared for him,
and hated to see his life end this way.
It's a dilemma for us,
as Mennonites, as pacifists,
as people for whom
guns are never the answer,
(except when they are)
and there is grief for every life, taken,
for whatever cause.
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