“Our hearts must change”

Here, here we sit on pews as they did when they took their last breath.
They could have been a neighbor. Their parents may be one yet.
What good do we think our thoughts and prayers will do for them now?
If our prayer is for forgiveness, do our actions speak as loud as words.

The alarm went out in time, but nineteen were murdered or maimed.
How long does this go on ‘til we recognize our hearts must change?
Press your eyes to the glass and see the pain living inside.
Parents, siblings, all relations must see we can make a tribe.

~ 2 of 4 verses improvised in a song after learning of the children dead or injured by mass gun violence on August 26, 2025.
~ Copyright © 2025 by Stan Stewart and muz4now, inc.