July 2022
Bio Note: I have worked in education as a paraeducator and as a substitute teacher since 2000. I have a personal tie to one of the Parkland survivors and I dedicate this poem to him, to those who were lost at the numerous shootings, to the others who survived with trauma, and to all the kids who should not have to feel fear when they walk through the gates.
@war: you know the drill
Don't go bringing your tired, your poor here – we already have our own huddled under tiny desks too small for their near-adult bodies and psyches not developmentally ready to grasp the concept of mortality that you live every day in. Fear has entered our classrooms, even in porcelain suburbs by the shore where their sheltered affluence cannot protect them any more than their swagger. They're losing their innocence and time to learn from failure under the protection of helicopter parents who can't shield them from the barrage of bullets and news. Darken the lamp, bolt the leaded door.
Originally published in Praxis Magazine
©2022 Betsy Mars
Editor's Note: If this poem(s) moves you please consider writing to the author (email address above) to say what it is about the poem you like. Writing to the author is what builds the community at Verse Virtual. It is very important. -JL