Blood in the hallways
Let’s talk about it
A nation’s divided
It’s the school shootings, you see
That has the health of this nation
In jeopardy
Forks don’t make you fat
Guns don’t kill
People do
They’ll find another way
To get you another day
Till then
JUST STAY, DON’T MOVE
Or with your life
You’ll pay
Pro life
Does this mean
We fight
Only for the lives
Of the unborn
Pro life
Shouldn’t this also mean
We don’t knowingly sacrifice
The lives of
Our teens and tweens
While we place
The lives of those
Still in their mother’s womb first
Do we care
That with guns
These young shooters
Have been equally nursed
Meanwhile
In a school somewhere
The children are huddled
Under their desks
In prayer
While they cower
The corridors outside
Ring with gunfire
It could be
A troubled stranger or friend
With the means
To justify THE END
Loading an AR15
With enough magazines
So that
With each aim
Every single bullet
Finds a name
Be charitable
Says the government
Of the day
Accept the inevitable
There’s little we can do
Or say
To hold sway
With the NRA
No resolution
In sight
Besides, our Second Amendment
Makes it right
No choice
Other than to be contrite
And own our plight
If there’s no solution
No way forward
And every day
Brings news of
More kids martyred
I’d rather become
Unborn again
For it’s the only time
My life ever mattered
I still remember my sixth grade self watching the horrifying news about the Parkland, Florida school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. I saw the situation from the eyes of someone young and uneducated. Unlike others more mature and older, I saw a not a violation of our Second Amendment but a simple violation of humanity. The Constitution was written to be a living document open to the interpretation of our circumstances. A gun back then compares nothing to the ones we have now; a knife wouldn’t have taken the lives of seventeen students at MSDHS. Even after so many young lives lost, people are quick to argue that the white teenage shooter was a mentally ill victim, but this is so much more than a mental health issue. The United States is one of the only countries where we are still dealing with this problem everyday because our freedom to wield an AR-15 outweighs the lives of others. If you’ve made it this far, I encourage you take the time to watch the “We Call BS” speech (or read the the transcript) of survivor Emma Gonzalez. I think her vigorous words are what encouraged me to not only be passionate about this topic, but write this prose. There’s a strict line between controversy and compassion, and my heart aches for the continuous blind faith of millions in our nation. After all these years, so much for “all lives matter."
Biography:
Hello and Namaste! I am Viveka Mehrotra, a 14-year old Michigan born ABCD - American Born Confused “Desi” - still trying to figure out what makes me tick. I’m a hopeless romantic who adores to read, drink excessive amounts of coffee, and listen to alternative rock music on repeat. I live in Athens, Georgia and attend North Oconee High School. After living in India for 5 years, I look forward to sharing my experience as an Indian American and discussing stereotypes, media, family, traditions, and social injustice in our community.
Instagram: @thevivekamehrotra
Cover Photo Source: News Week