Straining
by John Drudge / September 21st, 2025
An assassination
Shatters more than a life
It unsettles the fragile balance
In a world already indifferent
To our hopes
Caught between
The yearning for kindness
And the blind machinery
Of violence
It turns promise
Into lament
And speaks less of destiny
Than of our own tragic bent
And it is in these troubled times
That the heart strains
Toward compassion
When a single violent act
Tears at the fabric of trust
And leaves a silence
Heavier than words
And it is here
In the shadow of cruelty
That the measure
Of our humanity
Is revealed
John Drudge is a social worker working in the field of disability management and holds degrees in social work, rehabilitation services, and psychology. He is the author of six books of poetry:
March (2019),
The Seasons of Us (2019),
New Days (2020),
Fragments (2021),
A Long Walk (2023) and
Sojourns (2024). His work has appeared widely in numerous literary journals, magazines, and anthologies internationally. John is also a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee. He lives in Caledon Ontario, Canada with his wife and two children.
Read other articles by John.
This article was posted on Sunday, September 21st, 2025 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.
