I wrote this poem in September of 2024.
I tell my son I’m proud of you
and he’s like why, because I’m alive
I nervously laugh even though
my heart aches over what he said
Why does America like to play
Russian roulette with its children
Why can’t I have a normal conversation with
my kid over too much screen time
and reminding him to brush his teeth
instead of conversation over what
he should do in a mass shooting
I wrote this poem in September of 2024.
this time it hits too close to home
this time it feels like a matter of when
in America my children learn run, duck, and cover
before learning to spell the word “Gun”
but this is the deck of cards dealt to all of parents
living in America
safety in schools is an illusion long gone
since the days of Columbine
but with each massacre we all break a little more
and our anxiety skyrockets even more
the closer this epidemic gets to us
this time I’ll hug my teenager as tightly as possible
when he gets home, even as he rolls his eyes at me
and says, “ew”this time I allow my fury and rage
at this continued senseless violence to pour out of me
and on paper
collective and personal grief covers me
accepting once again, no matter what I do
or how hard I try or how much I love my child
I can’t shelter him, I can’t protect him
from the epidemic of violence in this country
I wrote this poem in October of 2022.
With excitement in his eyes, my son used to bring me pictures of made up monsters
Drawn with crayons-
With pride in his stance, he now brings me target sheets showing me how he’s well on his way
to becoming a decent shot with a revolver
When did my child go from crayons to guns?
It seems like I blinked and he went from four to twenty four
He went from being a rambunctious little boy who was hard to keep up with
to a strong and independent man who no longer needs me
And while I’m full of joy about this transformation-
I still miss the carefree days of crayon drawn monsters
I wrote this about the PULSE club shooting in 2016.
Everyone claims thoughts and prayers
For those they sprouted
Hatred against (just a few days ago)
Only because of their untimely
Deaths.
If they had gone
On living -they would
Have continued to be
Hated by most–
Now they are loved
And remembered and
Prayed for in the their death
Because they are dead.
It’s too late for you
Prayers warriors, you
Religious zealots and
bigots , your prayers
And love falls on
Angry ears, ears of
The victims families , ears
Of their loved ones, ears
Of the LATINX,Puerto Rican,
LGBTQ Community
People who weren’t
Given two fucks about
Or treated with hatred
Because your Bible told
You so.
Life on the BPD 