The Terrible Bullet

By BB

Bullet, can I ask you a question?
Why are you so terrible?
In the wake of your onslaught things, turn horrible
See how you rip through bodies and kill so many dreams
Just a ripple from the trigger sends blood flowing in streams
Made by man but yet given a life of your own
You are not the solution because you break up many happy home
People dealing with issues thinking that you can solve them
Yet in the end, you become their greatest problem
Look at the damage that you do to their world
Taking the lives of innocent boys and girls
Oh bullet they say that you know no name
But yet in life you play such a deadly game
You have no eyes so therefore you cannot see
Blind to the fact that you are killing off humanity
I wonder if you knew your crimes would you repent
And if so would you claim that the deaths you caused wasn’t meant
Would you just blame man and absolve yourself of guilt
Wrapping your conscience up in an unmerciful quilt
Nothing but a piece of steel
Yet your fatal consequences are so real
I must ask of those who have emotions that feel
Why has bullet been given the power to kill?
Not even knowing those whom it may slay
Yet those precious lives will not live to see another day
Recently I read about the child that was shot and killed
I guess they had to go because this what heaven willed
But why were you so unsympathetic in what you did
Do you not realize that the life you took was that of a kid?
Oh mighty bullet let me ask you another question
Because every day your deadly deeds be having me guessing
I wonder at your worth but I still cannot figure it out
Death and destruction is what you are all about
Look at how you tore through that woman’s heart
Ripping her entire family apart
Then you have these greedy businessmen that become a gun dealer
Them as well as the triggerman is the real killer
Look at the precious souls that you have forsaken
You have become a favorite tool of Satan
Iron is supposed to be a precious metal
But it is used for the wrong purposes by the devil
He destroys the destroys the soul that he possess
Even the killer kills a part of themselves in the process
So bullet who do you answer to
Is destruction the only way that you pay your due?
All it takes is a pull of the trigger to unleash your fury
Shutting down all the factories that makes bullets would be the best theory
Because a lifeless bullet can take a life of its own
Once released into the air it is terror prone traveling at the speed of light
All it takes is one bullet to end a life
Causing grief and destroying so much
A lot of havoc can be reaped from a bullet’s touch
Man fingers the trigger and then he pulls it
Little does he realize the endless consequences of the terrible bullet

Tagged with , ,

9 Comments

  1. Jessica Turner on May 18, 2020 at 3:36 PM

    such a powerful poem and a profound title to use reflecting life, death, destruction, pain and heart ache. it is extremely important for poem like this to exist while it strikes so much emotion. as relevant as its reality i am deeply pulled in by the tone that speaks in all aspects and you did really great job

  2. Derek H. on June 2, 2020 at 8:04 PM

    Hey BB, the power of a bullet is endless in the pain it can cause for families and friends alike. I appreciate your imagery that truly captures the devastating power of a bullet from a moral perspective. Thanks so much for sharing.

  3. Jessica on June 24, 2020 at 4:16 PM

    BB, wow. I am in tears reading your poem. You are a phenomenal writer, and I can tell there was so much care in writing this poem. Your passion shines through your words. The rhythm and rhymes you use in this poem are so beautiful and musical — it really is expert-level! My favorite things you do in this poem is personify the bullet and interject with specific anecdotes about specific ways the bullet has impacted specific people. It is such powerful writing. Thank you for writing this; I am in awe of your mind.

    Lastly, it reminded me a bit of this poem by poet Jericho Brown. I hope you like it.

    Bullet Points
    BY JERICHO BROWN

    I will not shoot myself
    In the head, and I will not shoot myself
    In the back, and I will not hang myself
    With a trashbag, and if I do,
    I promise you, I will not do it
    In a police car while handcuffed
    Or in the jail cell of a town
    I only know the name of
    Because I have to drive through it
    To get home. Yes, I may be at risk,
    But I promise you, I trust the maggots
    Who live beneath the floorboards
    Of my house to do what they must
    To any carcass more than I trust
    An officer of the law of the land
    To shut my eyes like a man
    Of God might, or to cover me with a sheet
    So clean my mother could have used it
    To tuck me in. When I kill me, I will
    Do it the same way most Americans do,
    I promise you: cigarette smoke
    Or a piece of meat on which I choke
    Or so broke I freeze
    In one of these winters we keep
    Calling worst. I promise if you hear
    Of me dead anywhere near
    A cop, then that cop killed me. He took
    Me from us and left my body, which is,
    No matter what we’ve been taught,
    Greater than the settlement
    A city can pay a mother to stop crying,
    And more beautiful than the new bullet
    Fished from the folds of my brain.

  4. insertalreadytakentitlehere on June 28, 2020 at 4:41 AM

    Wow. Such powerful writing and message.

  5. Michael on June 30, 2020 at 10:04 PM

    The rhyme scheme of this poem is simple, but so effective. You did a fantastic job describing the harshness that gun violence can cause that many people don’t seem to understand.

  6. ken on November 11, 2020 at 10:32 PM

    This poem is so powerful and emotional. You did a really good job with expressing the way you were feeling. It was a very good poem!! Keep up the good work!

  7. Corrinne Hall on August 8, 2021 at 6:31 AM

    Beautiful poem. I wish you all the luck in the world with your appeal x

  8. Maxine Cassell on August 24, 2021 at 7:17 PM

    BB,

    I think this is a great poem that brings up a lot fo questions that people are afraid to be confronted with. Why in the United States do we allow lives to be taken by gun violence? Why aren’t certain guns banned yet? Your poem displays how unforgiving a bullet is and a gun, and that it is a tool of destruction, nothing else. When reading your poem is like you lif a veil to uncover all the evil that a bullet holds. You described this topic perfeclty and conveyed it very well. I hope you continue to write, I look forward to reading more of your pieces.

  9. Yusra Ali on December 13, 2021 at 2:58 PM

    Dear BB,
    This poem was very impactful because as I was reading it, the words seemed to talk to me. It was a lengthy poem, but the words were so powerful that it didn’t seem that long to me. I felt like I could relate to this poem as I know people in my community who have lost their lives to gun violence. It isn’t talked about very often and this poem really makes sure to cover everything. It’s very neglected as many innocent people have lost their lives due to gun violence. I also liked the way you referred to the bullet, not as an object but talking to it directly. This poem talks about all the problems with gun violence, and that many think that their problems will be solved by pulling a trigger. It also talks about the effect of a single bullet. A single bullet can end a life, and the grief it can cause on the victim’s family and friends. This part of the poem I could relate to you as I have seen it firsthand in my community. Overall, this poem had a great impact on me as it was a powerful poem.

Leave a Comment





This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

The poets featured here are currently incarcerated, and many of them are in federal prisons far from home. Your feedback is a valuable source of motivation and connection to the outside community. Post your comments, feedback, and encouragement in the space below the poem. Messages will be passed on directly to the author. Comments may not appear immediately on the site, as our team processes them to mail to the poets.