and then, in March 2019, came the mosque shootings in Christchurch

the shove of other worlds crashing into ours

lightning flashes of fear, revealing depths of human cruelty,

and, immediately, kindness.

The rolling of grief across days.

I took some steps back from the artwork, allowed space and more days.

And when I came back, there were the roses. Dead and damaged roses appropriated for print-making. Wistful bouquets for the grief-stricken.