I need space in my mind and in my heart upon this day,
As I listen to what people have to say.
As Americans’ we demand our rights,
Trying to do better causes many a fight.
They say it’s the hand not the gun,
That takes the live of someone.
How do we take it out of their hands?
And leave you, yours? I don’t understand.
I have a gun, kept inside my front door,
To protect against violence and even more.
But I don’t tote it out on the streets,
I’m not in fear of the people I meet.
The Right To Bear Arms, an American charm,
Written into our constitution, to help keep us from harm.
But that was in 1791, when our country had just begun,
Now senseless killings affect everyone.
When your loved one leaves, will they return home?
Do you fear the sound of the telephone?
A shooting, another, anytime, any place,
As the world watches, we are a disgrace.
***Do you remember your awareness of mass gun shootings in our country? The outrage, the anguish we felt as a country? For me, it was Columbine, a school shooting in 1999 in Colorado that claimed the lives of 15.
I worry when those I love are out and about, whisper prayers for their safety, hoping they do not stray into the path of violence. I’m careful not to engage with angry drivers, not to lock eye contact with angry people in general. “Keep your energy low, don’t poke the bear” attitude.
I am a gun owner, I don’t want to take yours, but I demand we take theirs, I just don’t know who “they” are.
