I knew his name and his face,

Passing glances in the halls,

Sophomore English class

And elementary school beyond.

I wouldn’t say he was a good person, in fact he was a bigot.

But I believe almost nobody deserves to die,

And he did a week after graduation.

We were acquaintances,

I knew his name and he might’ve known mine.

But loss feels all the same whether he knew my name.