Reporters

In the car

After dark

With the headlights shining

On the wet pavement

Like stars on the ground

I curl up in my seat

And the news is on

Voices fill the car

Not my own

Not my dads

But the voices of the reporters

They talk about America

And its fate

They talk about

Matt Gates

The supposed attorney general

They talk about

This 17 year girl

A minor

Unable to give consent

At parties

With him

They say

There's no proof

They talk about

Another guy

Who would lead the Pentagon

Our defense system

They spend time

Perseverating over his tattoos

His idea of right in wrong

Soon enough

The drive ends

As the car pulls into the driveway

The news stops

As I walk inside

My feet crunch on the gravel

And my toes get wet by the rain

My brain is racing

Wondering

Why we want

Those people to be

Our leaders

My brain is a tornado

Worrying

For my safety

For the safety of others

As I close the door the my house

Twist the lock

I think of

The news reporters

Who share good and bad stories

Stories that bring joy and fear

Stories that make people laugh and cry

The stories I just heard

Follow me to bed

Hovering above me

Like a cloud of fear

These stories

For me

Are the bad stories

They bring fear

They make me cry

As my eyes flutter shut

Into a sleep

Where the voices of the reporters

Narrate a disaster