Annette Gagliardi

I HEARD A COPTER

I heard a copter flying high
upon the early morning sky,
its blades of glass within the blue
shone brightly as the morning dew.

And as I watched that morning sky
a question and its fast reply;
What hails the flight, I want to know.
Why does it come so close and low?

Then in my ear a sound is heard
and now I fine’ly understood.
The gunshots ring out loud and clear;
two fleeing men are running here!

I bob, I dart inside my house
And try to be mute as a mouse
My door is locked, the windows drawn,
yet those two men are on my lawn!

The copter banks, its blades ablaze.
Now bullets on my window graze.
And shouts are heard as bullets fly.
I hold my breath; don’t want to die.

A siren sounds, cop cars appear.
Under arrest! Is all I hear.
They go away, at least for now.
Me - sleep tonight? – I wonder how.


Tamara Miles reads "I Heard a Copter":



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Annette confesses: "This poem was inspired by the continual crime in my neighborhood."

ANNETTE GAGLIARDI is a Minneapolis poet who teaches fifth graders how to follow the rules of poetry while trying to break them in her free time. She attends classes at The Loft, is a member of the League of Minnesota Poets and other poetry societies.