American Children > American Guns

by Camryn Parsons

 

how many more lives

before our congress decides

it is time to say ok

we have a problem

that will not go away

without the adults

realizing they have the power,

they have the power for change.

kids are being shot down

and no I do not mean their voices

which is already bad enough

but their bodies

bloody

in a haunted hallowed hallway

where they came to spend the day

learning,

not ready to send their lives away.

and I guess it’s easy for you to say

when you haven’t faced that type of pain

“it’s not the guns, it’s the people”

but could a single knife cause this unbearable strife?

could it create seventeen new victims

all with families and homes

whom now have never felt so desperately alone?

we have a fight rising among us

but that does not do what a new law does.

we can not pass these regulations and rules

but we can say we want them and we need them

and assault rifles can no longer be such accessible tools.

you are the ignorance to our cause.

we are the songs of millions

and you are the button always pressing pause.

we are fifteen and sixteen

and we are tired of thoughts and prayers.

since when do fake consolidations

get our country anywhere?

and if one person tells me it’s fine –

Donald Trump can continue to pray

I am going to reply not a text message but a whole essay:

HERE is the hope

HERE is the fear

HERE is the government afraid to come near

because near would be too close to accepting

the responsibility for the death of our children

in a place of education.

the school is not a place of goodbyes but hellos

so don’t question our shouts, hell no hell no.

Sandy Hook did not call change

you know what – I will rephrase.

elementary kids killed did call for change

in fact that phone rang and rang and rang

and yet those perfect politicians

they refused to pick up

because answering that phone of despair

would mean that someone would have to care.

and if there was not change then

what the hell are we supposed to do to make change NOW?

and when I say now I mean now I mean now because the month is February

and the year 2018

and in the United States

we have had more school shootings than the rest of the world combined

so come on, dear god, try to tell me again it’s not the right time.

and if we don’t say now if we don’t claim now

then when will unexpected death strike our nation’s halls again?

when will another loving child lose their very best friend?

so please, I do not care whether you know how this will end

I care that you sit in your chair and you pretend to care

and the most you can do is make a shitty tweet and press send

while meanwhile you refuse to meet

the real issue at hand

yours is too small to grasp

long enough

to actually understand.

thoughts and prayers don’t save lives.

POLICY does

REGULATION does

AN EFFORT DOES.

conservative vs liberal doesn’t matter in this battle.

the qualification you need is to be a person

because as person you must realize

we don’t have the time

to let one more kid die,

one more family to be traumatized.

but shit despite this all,

despite every single one of this government’s flaws,

there is some shred of faith

because look at the teenagers unwilling to accept

that this second amendment has led to so much death.

we cannot fight violence with violence

just like we cannot fight hate with hate.

it’s time to realize the country we claim to be so great

is not willing and ready to control our own fate.

us teenagers, no, we are not going to wait till the next date

the next headline of another school shooting.

we are not willing to wait

until every person in this country is a victim –

no, we have given ourselves the permission.

1. will. fight.

will you be with us, dear government,

or against us?

no matter your answer, you best be afraid of us.  

 

PSA: some politicians and part of the government are doing some pretty awesome things! However, others are doing a pretty trash job. So this is not @ the whole government, this is @ the part of it that thinks they can solve the issue of guns with more guns and that are simply not doing enough at such a crucial time.