Another tragedy cloaks the week.

A solemn voice tells us to stand for the Pledge,
Then to stay standing to mourn the too-young dead.
We’re promised justice,
But too many teachers and students are dead from a plague they won’t stop.

Sobbed pleas for safety float unnoticed like dandelion seeds,
And holy sh*t, I am ANGRY.
The big men in suits don’t act like it’s a big deal,
so my life must not be worth more than the gun lobby.
If my life feels destined to become a harrowing statistic,
Then someone is failing me.

I am resigned to panic and anger because it is all I know,
Quietly planning how I would escape the drill to end all drills.

I hear my father’s voice waver,
Pointing at the newspaper,
And it’s subtle but devastating.
I’ve only ever heard him cry for dead family,
And I think that’s what’s happening;
He sees my sister and I in those kids,
And I don’t think he’s wrong.
It could have just as easily been us.

Stop letting us wait to be next.