Remember This: America's Mass Shooting Epidemic

It’s in the news now,
But next week 
It’ll be another.
The last one is forgotten, replaced by the next.
But we carry it in our hearts, it weighs us down.
Another story, after another,
After
Another.
Lately, it feels like they haven’t stopped.
It feels like they never will.
Why haven’t things changed?
Why wasn’t the first one enough 
For change? 
But I guess that’s not enough.
What about those people,
Those children 
Who died at the hands 
Of someone so mentally unstable, so unwell? 
What about them?
Is that not enough for something to change?
I guess not because 
It 
Keeps 
Happening. 
There’s one thing  
In common with each one – 
The weapon of choice. 
It may be small or big, 
But the damage is always bigger, 
The tears greater, 
The loss infinite, 
The sadness enormous. 
This is my plea: 
Please stop this
Because we can do better.
All we need to do is try harder, 
Because once was already too many times. 
 

Penelope

VT

16 years old

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