They just went to waste some time,
Have lunch,
Buy some shoes.
They end up running for their lives.
Huddled behind an overflowing dumpster.
Fearful that the faces of strangers would be the last faces they’d ever see.
A benign trip to the mall was on the agenda.
Instead…
What they got was an invitation to hell.
In the distance, sirens wailing kept the haphazard beat of terror.
Each person fearing the chaotic bangs and blasts layered over the shrill screams would become the soundtrack of their lives.
Why does this happen so frequently?
It happens at malls, schools, grocery stores, hospitals, churches, night clubs, concerts and sporting events.
No place is safe.
No one is safe.
But we press on.
No place is safe.
They tell me “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people”.
Yes, this is true.
However…
People can kill more people at one time, with more precision, than with any other weapon, excluding bombs.
I don’t know if more severe gun control measures will help to curb this growing trend,
But…
I do know something needs to change.
Enough is enough!
Stop the spread of hate.
Teach nonviolent approaches to dealing with anger.
The time of the mean girl and the bully need to end.
No more can we turn away from hate filled rhetoric.
We must stop normalizing violence.
It’s all around us.
Movies, TV, books, and music have always sensationalized violent acts.
But we understood that death is final.
It kills not only your target, but your soul.
Today so many live behind a screen in their imaginary worlds, cloaked by the safety of technology.
It’s a false world.
Real life human interaction has been lost,
Rendering us a society of virtual friends and digital enemies.
The time has come to stand up to the fear mongers,
Be they real or AI.
My life may mean nothing to you,
But…
I assure you, I am precious to someone.
You have no right to extinguish my flame.
I don’t live in the digital world of zeros and ones,
I live in the real world.
You can not press reset and start a new game, once you’ve pulled that trigger.
In real life, blood is crimson, wet and sticky.
My heart will cease to beat.
My supply is not endless, the flow will wane.
And I will die.
At your hand.
There is no reset on my life.
There is no do over once you’ve pulled the trigger.
There is no reset on human life.
©2023 Brooke Lee
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