{Insert Today's Mass Shooting}

A medium-length poem about mass shootings in America

Today I opened up my newspaper in the United States

Just to learn about the newest shooting and know the fates

Of people young and old that had no prayer

Hundreds of lives now shattered beyond repair

I wake up and I watch the news

Anytime I do, it has me wanting to sing the blues

I feel sick to learn about people I’ll never meet

I know all our president will do is tweet

He says that he’s sending them a prayer and a thought

He sympathizes even though he has never really fought

For his life the way that these poor people did

He doesn’t understand the pain of losing a kid

Mothers and Fathers wake this morning as well

The news broadcasting their worst imaginable Hell

To suffer the agony of losing a loved one

Because it’s way too easy to buy a gun

But those thoughts and prayers keep on coming in

From politicians yet they do nothing but grin

When the NRA sends them that big old check

That money to make sure things stay a wreck

The suits and ties in Washington DC

Are too far in their own bubble to see

It’s not dollars and cents about which we are talking

It’s people who are living and breathing and walking

We all know that things would sure change fast

If it was their child that felt the shot gun blast

For them it all seems a million miles from home

Because they all love living in the DC dome

Maybe if Paul Ryan’s kids had been at Sandy Hook

Maybe then he would have closed his check book

Maybe if John Boehner’s daughters were at Columbine

Maybe I’d have no reason to make these words rhyme

But the media reports lies and cries, “Say it ain’t so!”

Now watch closely at the ratings, higher and higher they grow

They glorify these young, white, male terrorists but “NO!”

He’s white! Can’t be a terrorist. Dylan’s just a lone wolf. Don’t you know?

Banning all assault weapons won’t work, don’t you see?

Then why doesn’t this happen in any other country?

Changing the word ‘school’ to ‘uterus’ is what we ought to do

So Republicans will care about the children dying inside, too