When I was five there were severe weather drills
Where strings of children lined up in the hall
Away from the windows 
Out of reach of roughy blown projectiles.
One only had to listen for a ping of rain or howl of wind
Vulnerable to mother nature. 

The storms have become more powerful
As our smog warms our home
But I cannot remember another such drill. 
For, we have long surpassed any terrors our earth can create
With long guns and troubled minds. 

Raindrops have melted into gunshots 
Howling wind into grief. 
Children are not protected from outside threats
But the terrors that emerge from the inside. 
It's humans we all fear. 

The answer doesn't lie in more guns, or drills, or security
It's hard to be protected from ourselves. 

We need love.
To be those five year olds
Holding hands pressed against the hallway
Before comfort became paranoia. 
To see each other fully
Retune our ears from the loud bang of a gunshot
To the soft brushes of human emotion. 

We were all children
With clean hands and whole hearts. 
Blighted by a world that wouldn't listen. 

Let tragedy lead to change inside us all.
Let us sprinkle the goodness of 17 souls among the world
And let us be loud with passion and quiet in listening. 

Let there be peace on earth. 
And let it begin with me.