Every time another person goes on a shooting rampage it breaks my heart. It breaks my heart not only because of the premature loss of life but also because we had a chance to try and do something to prevent things like this from happening and we do not. When, if ever will we get it? Today I dedicate my poem "Newtown" to Richard Martinez and every other person who has ever lost anyone to gun violence.
“Newtown”
If you had the choice between a weapon and a word, which
would you choose?
The word might hurt but the weapon could be worse, so why
would you choose either?
Is this is the choice we face? Choosing between the lesser
of two evils?
Hoping for the answers to unresolved questions while hoping
against sequels
On days like this, where I’m glued to the news, Horrified
and angry, tired and confused
Lost in a moment I cannot comprehend, when all I want is peace,
love and revenge
Understand, I don’t want bullets, just a bullet proof vest
To
deflect all the hate and the anger left repressed
I cannot rest until I know, why we have to explode?
Why the need to take lives? Why the innocent can’t survive?
If you’re “brave” enough to end someone’s life, start with
your own-
Instead of losing control… instead of raising the death toll
Instead of showing up with a gun, isolated and numb, trying
to reduce a crowd down to one
By the time we find those who are lost, we’re left calculating
the cost
It’s a shame we can’t help those out of their minds before it’s killing time
In these times, where people overreact to everything and are
desensitized to nothing
When most of us walk the road afraid of something
Where people can’t see the consequences beyond right now
Seems like others have to die for us to move forward somehow
We’re overwhelmed with grief, and there’s no relief when another
one is gone
For one day life goes nowhere, then life goes on, but not
for everyone
Of the 20 biggest mass shootings in U.S. history, 12 have taken
place in the last 7 years!
And nothing I say is going to bring anybody back, nor will
it stop the next attack
But I thought at the very least we could try to learn from
our mistakes
You see, gun debates are great but not realistic.
You can’t pry the guns from patriotic hands, Americans are
too sadistic to understand.
So let’s update Constitutions and Bibles and while we’re at
it tell me why we need assault rifles?
Some say if we banned them, we’d be taking them away from
the good guys
If the victims had guns, they might have survived…
Giving everyone guns is not the answer
That’s like giving everyone cancer and watching it spread
until we’ve shot everyone dead.
Mr. 2nd Amendment, I know you heard that another
tragedy occurred
But I want to help someone, while your mind is on your guns
And I thought the gunman was misguided and confused
I guess
it’s no surprise you’ve made this all about you
But when people have died maybe we can try not to think
about what the rest of us can lose
Those in NEED of a
gun are the people I’m the most afraid of
Because I refuse
to live in a fearful world without love
You look inward and feel the need to feel protected.
I look outward and know life needs to be respected
If you believe hell exists, then you know that’s where he
is.
But hell is the place where the families are too
When we’re powerless to prevent nightmares from coming true.
When the darkest of thoughts become realities
When good people have to bear the senseless brutality.
When your quiet little home
becomes a Newtown, with cameras, police and chaos all around
Time
stands still, until everybody leaves but then the residents really get to
grieve
A
few weeks later, the world no longer upset, while this neighborhood will never forget
There’s not enough humanity in the world and the bloodshed
never ends
I’ve listened to both sides and I still don’t know why we
need all these guns again
At times like these, we are united in tragedies, our
differences aside until the passions divide
If all you’ve got is a weapon and a word, bring your mind
and your heart
Because ideas are stronger than guns and love is stronger
than pride
