We Can Do Better

On the day before the anniversary (and I use that word for lack of a better term) of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, there was a threat of a possible armed individual reported at my children's school that caused them all to be in lockdown for hours. Some were hiding in bathrooms, some in closets, and some behind desks. Needless to say it was a harrowing experience for children and parents alike. Luckily, unlike Parkland, it turned out to be a false alarm. But the experience both for me and for my children prompted me to write the following poem, because I do think "We Can Do Better" than this for our children:

Children huddled scared to talk

For fear their voices will carry

To the monster they believe is prowling

Nothing has ever been more scary

They want their phones to text their moms

They want to hear their dad’s voice

They stand silent instead

Filled with dread

Praying they made the right choice

The teachers said

The light from phones may be seen

Leave them behind

God forbid they ring

And alert the monster

Who hides in the halls

Of the school they felt safe in

Now there are not enough walls

To keep evil out

To keep them protected

Their parents are frantic

Their teachers reactive

Trained to defend

To risk their own life

For minimum pay

We ask the ultimate price

And this is the world our children find normal

Though it has clearly come unfettered

Having to hide our children in school closets

Please tell you know we can do better