5. lives lost

senior year flies by,
but as dark as the times were,
one had stood taller than
all of them,
and i didn’t think i’d be
hiding in a closet,
praying for my life,
but the man carried a gun
and he shot out them all,
i’d watch my classmates die,
bullets spray and bodies drop,
shot with not an inkling
of regret,
i couldn’t ever forget it.

i wanted to close
my eyes to avoid
the image,
but my worry crept that
if i did,
i’d never open them again,
so i saw every bit,
didn’t move an inch,
watched as a cop came
and cuffed him in,
carried him off,
my teacher found me,
guided me out,
couldn’t breathe at all
mama ran up to me,
tears welling,
squeezed what little air
was left in me out,
all i could think of
was the parents who
couldn’t squeeze theirs.

i always tried my best
to conceal my emotions,
but it was hard not to cry
during my graduation
as i sat in a row filled
with empty chairs,
loud and clear,
heard every name
that didn’t make it,
just because some asshole
thought it would be fun
to take away the rest
of their lives,
now our times
of celebration
will only be somber
and harder to take.

motherfucker.