Pondering the unimaginable terror in Las Vegas

Good news or bad news?
It seems the headlines
in the morning paper
are a roll of the dice.

In a city
where people have been known
to gamble their lives away,
what are the odds a lone gunman
would lock himself in a high-rise hotel room
and slaughter innocent concert-goers
hoping to hear Jason Aldean all night?

A city sarcastically nicknamed “Lost Wages,”
is now sadly known for lost lives.
How terrifying.
How traumatic.
How tragic.

This week the “Disneyland for Adults”
is anything but “the happiest place on earth.”
It’s Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride derailed.
It’s Dumbo dumbfounded.
It’s the Matterhorn dehorned.
It’s Main Street gone mad.

O God, have mercy on the victims.
Comfort the grieving.
Heal the wounded.
Calm the scared.
Protect the vulnerable.
Convince our Congress to rewrite gun laws.
Guide the authorities who seek answers.
Sustain a city and a nation riddled with questions.
Save us from ourselves, dear Lord.