Jan. 24, 2026

By Craig Kirchner

First the gun knew,

the hammer, the firing pin,

strikes the primer cap,

detonates on impact, creates a spark,

explodes the shell of gunpowder

generating the power that

propels the bullet.

The muzzles knows, directs,

the air is traumatized

as the projectile travelling

1200 feet per second through the air

on Nicollet Ave. seeks the back of his head.

The noise first for a split second,

an instant pain and then nothing.

It wasn’t really gun first, as the talking point

assures, it was trigger, finger

attached to an unknown arm, masked,

vested, in no danger, but crazed

that the fallen had interfered,

furious also that the God-like leaders

weren’t there to see his vengeance.

Craig Kirchner loves the aesthetics of writing, has a book of poetry, Roomful of Navels, and has been nominated three times for a Pushcart. He has been published in Chiron Review, Breathe, Main Street Rag and more than 100 others. He houses 500 books in his office and about 400 poems on a laptop; these words help keep him straight. Craig has an interview at Spillword and can be found on Bluesky.