A gun took me from you,
but not only a gun.
Behind the gun burned hatred born of fear.
Bullets took them from us,
but not only bullets.
Behind the bullets the smallness
of fear-hate aspired to grandiosity.

Remember, it is still the us’es of this world—
gay and straight, every ethnicity, age or ability—
who’ve got to keep hope alive.
We’ve got to vigil together, then march together.
We’ve got to be relentless in our love,
love of neighbor, stranger, even enemy.

We’ve got to unite in a river of love
pouring from Orlando,
Newtown, San Bernardino, Aurora
to Washington, D.C.
until assault rifles are beaten into ploughshares
of opportunity for all the us’es,
until an ocean of us’es
standing shoulder to shoulder
shows that hatred cannot stand
and that fear must surely
surrender to love.