Fictitious Murders

Make good stories. Real
Murders are too rare
And too ungraceful

In motivation,
Means, or solution.
Really, the real ones

Go mostly unsolved
For lack of effort
And resources, not

Because they’d be hard
To figure out. Real
Murders barely fill

Content appetites
For true-crime podcasts,
Gnawed over like bones

By a pack of dogs.
Fictitious murders
Are pretty, clever,

Diabolical—
Maybe bloody but
Only routine when

Part of war stories
Or action movies,
Where it’s pretended

Slaughter’s not murder.
The single murder
By someone unknown,

Well, that’s a riddle
And fun if you like
Riddles, but rarely

Will it tell you much
About why people
Keep killing people.