this is gun violence
by W. Z. (11)
there it was, the spot.
a small face of marble,
she was smiling.
there were flowers at first,
they died before she did
but they weren’t bleeding out
the plaque finally came
a life cut short
was now immortal.
this is gun violence.
a school in massachusetts, a mall in arizona, a mosque in minnesota
the location matters not
death can go anywhere after racking up all those frequent flyer miles
a religious fanatic, a troubled teenager, a vengeful husband
the perpetrator matters not
death is all for equal opportunity
a cheerful first-grader, a promising teen, a selfless father
the victims matter not
death makes no distinction under those pearly white sheets
it doesn’t judge, it’s totally fair
like the bullet, it simply doesn’t care
it listens for the final rattle, the last gasp,
bringing the lucky victim into its grasp
this is gun violence.
after muzzles cool and screams cease by selfish steel,
after frantic calls and grieving relatives faint and fall,
after teary parents and fiery pundits demand something be done,
silence.
the press vans drive out of the parking lot,
the pundits go back to their normal news cycle,
the politicians run back into the pockets of their lobbyists,
all is well again.
this is gun violence.
mom told me that we’d arrived in a land of liberty, of freedom, of hope
that the streets were safe, that the future was bright
but each scream, each casket, each motherly wail,
blows out yet another light
miss jones taught me that the stars and stripes are forever
that the allegiance we pledge was for our beloved human rights
but each body bag, each day of national mourning
shows how the right to live has lost yet another fight
my coach taught me that practice makes perfect
that perseverance trumps talent and might
but each time another set of faces plasters People
i wonder if basic reason is still somewhere in sight
this is gun violence.
let it be, they say
it’s just how it is
the constitution is sacred
please stay out of its way
but as i look back at that plaque
at the frozen smile
i cannot help but think
why at all listen to what you say?
no, let things change
fueled by the hope in pain
one less grieving parent, friend, nation
is what you will gain
let there be no more plaques,
no more somber press conferences!
let there be real action, a movement never yet seen,
the pen is mightier than the AR-15!
this is for the students, the kids in massachusetts
this is for the mall-goers, the christmas shoppers in arizona
this is for the devout, the faithful in minnesota
this is for a brighter future, a new morning in america
this is up to you.