O Mother of God, Mary Mild, you understand loss of a child. Well as anyone is able, your pain began in a stable.

You knew the pain of giving birth, the pain of struggle on this earth. You brought your son into the world, watched as his destiny unfurled. You hoped great love and peace for him. You prayed as all around turned grim. Pain and agony, all you knew, as violence and blood broke through. You knew two thousand years ago, a mothers grief, a fathers woe. Seems nothings changed under the sun, except the cross is now a gun. Angry men still kill our children, armed and vested as a squadron of Roman soldiers on a day that left you Mary in dismay. Each year the victims grow younger. Now babies lives are torn asunder, tiny kindergarten shattered, where their little feet once pattered. Someone knew of this mans wrath, knew and never blocked the bloodbath, refused to get involved because its rude to name a madmans flaws. We circle round the telling sign, careful, careful, not to malign a killers character we say, too late now to change his way. The neighbors, courts keep silent night, until extinguished is the light of small ones eyes who could not flee from a mans inhumanity. Wake us, Mary, from the deep sleep,

the sleep that fails our souls to keep. Teach us, Mary, to cry out loud, Hes dangerous! Hell kill a child! If the court grants him custody, then helpless hearts will broken be as mother hugs small lifeless form no longer soft, no longer warm. Not enough evidence you say? Then you will live to rue the day. Not his keeper, its not my job? Youll listen as her mother sobs. O, Mother of God, Mary mild, raise us up to protect the child. The little ones to God belong. They are weak, so we must be strong.