YOUNG PEOPLE

The adults in charge allowed a gunman to buy an assault rifle…

and after he entered a high school and 17 lives were lost…

They said this is sad but we live in a free society

and this…well...it’s just part of the cost.

The adults did say (and keep saying) how sorry they are

that so many people are dead…

but we really don’t know how to fix it…

How about we use common sense! the young people said.

The adults said it is our right to own guns.

Taking them would amount to government theft…

The young people said we only want your assault rifles…

One right…before there are no children left. 

The young people repeated we can ban all assault rifles

No one needs them…let’s take them away…

The adults said we don’t have to listen to you…

Our allegiance is spelled N R & A.

The young people said we need more extensive background checks

appealing to both Republicans and Democrats…

The adults said yes we’ll study this problem…

but we’ll have to get back to you on that.

The young people said we need more money and services for mental health

People are suffering…we must help them find their way…

The adults said that’s true but we need to strengthen our military…

then they took mental health funding away.

The young people said we’ve shown you the first steps toward a solution

How about…you choose even one…

The adults said we’ve got a better solution

let’s provide every teacher…a gun…

The young people said this is unacceptable…

they pleaded and they kept asking why?

Why, when it’s your job to protect us…

are you willing to let all of us die?

The adults said to the young people you are too young to understand…

We are the adults…and you need to heed us…

The young people said, we understand the problem…

and it’s you

it was then…they decided to lead us.

So they gathered a multitude of people 

Black, white, LGBTQ, even some like me…old and gray

not only to show adults we are wrong in our thinking…

but also to show us the way.