And so we sit,
Amongst the dudes, bros and half-hipsters
With their overpriced skin tight
Third world friendly workout attire
Under a half fog of cigarette smoke.
And I love your words.
And I love your lines;
While I look across the bar
Towards a television screen
Of onscreen fear and distrust,
To which I must subside.
Your stories, I welcome all,
Overseeing the ocean of information,
But like Columbus, you've never sailed before,
And fear the monsters we can't name,
Their drawings now pencil thin in comparison
To the bombs and the lunatics we face daily
On the news stands we read, and tremble,
Afraid to die
In some new terrible way
The news will commemorate.
But for you, against all odds, I'll keep on
Amongst bullets and bombs,
Through the smoke and the fog,
I'll keep on,
And on
And on.
The number of mass shootings, especially in schools, have bothered me a lot, and sparked this poem about the fear we now face as young people who attend (on in my case recently attended) institutions of education, higher education, and beyond.
I don't normally write about anything political or provide footnotes, but this is a love poem to learning and education, and focuses on how we should never let anything stop us from achieving those dreams.
