It.Is.Enough

I read of a stabbing boy
and am stabbed in the
heart of my eyes – soul-
weary of trying to
understand – wanting
only to yell S.T.O.P.
Enough, already!
Yes, something is
wrong – really wrong –
when someone, anyone,
decides today will be
the day of knife stabbing
gun wielding shooting
life taking crap over
way to problem solve
through their own
particular brand of pain

on another day, I will
care again, be concerned –
again –
wade through the societal piece –
again –
but today, enough
really is enough
and I don’t particularly
want to care – all I want
should anyone care to know
is for this to stop

I doubt any of the weapon
carrier believers that today
will somehow be different –
be their day – will be reading
but on the off chance and with
no thought to changing
minds or hearts but if you
were wondering what
everyone else is thinking
about you – and it isn’t fear –
that’s reserved solely to
those right in front of your
weapons – well, here goes –
get over ‘it’ – what ever your
it may be – just get over it –
everyone else did and does –
yeah – we’ve got shit in our
lives too - we’re real too –we’re
invisible to many too – we’re
tired too – we’re struggling too –
we’re hurt and hurting too –
we have angst too – and no,
we’re not better than you –
we just decided a long time
ago that it was our problem
and did the best we could with
it – and the best we can does
not include taking knives
and guns and trying to shoot
and stab our way out of our
pain – simply because it
just doesn’t work – and oh
yeah – those other people –
they. are. people. too.

you are not a hero
not
nor are you a villain
you’re just ordinary
about to do something
really stupid
from which there is no
coming back
and here’s the thing –
you want to come back –
it’s obvious – your very
actions scream that you
want to come back –
people who don’t
want to come back
don’t take other people
with them on the journey

and you will not be famous
a handful of people will
know your name, but they
will not know you
that doesn’t happen by
headlines
knowing you happens by
a lifetime of spending
time with
that’s it
not very mysterious
but boy is it hard
and all you’re doing
with your snap
stupid gun-slinging
knife toting is
showing you don’t
have it to go the distance
because it’s hard

spoiled poor baby
living in the land
of too much that
isn’t enough
with nowhere to
go – how about
down to the local
mission or shelter
to lend a hand to
someone who really
has had it bad or hard
life-slinging bad hard
or over to the nursing
home to do the hard
work of sitting with
someone who will
never recognize you
never say thank you
and just do something
nice for them with
no reward
because there is a
whole world of real
suffering – you’re just
a poor imitation of
the real thing
and you really piss
me off