baltimoreblackwoman

My latest poem is written in the style of a ballad. In fact, it is also a song, since a melody came to me as I was writing. The song version will also be posted soon. Your thoughts and comments on the poem are most welcome.  

The children are Marching for their Lives.
Some think they’re too young, but they are wise.
They have had enough of our thoughts and prayers.
They alone are standing up to the NRA.

We teach them to depend on us for their care.
We tell them how to think and what not to dare.
Then we send them off to school and wish them a good day.
But we don’t give a damn about the perils they face.

Now, all of their perils are not the same.
Many are killed by a lone mad man’s game,
While many face down gangstas day by day.
But in the end, what they all fear is dying.

The children are Marching for their Lives.
Some think they’re too young, but they are wise.
They have had enough of our thoughts and prayers.
They alone are standing up to the NRA.

They all came together to say “Enough.”
When faced with opposition, they said, “Well, tough!
If you cannot save us, we’ll save ourselves.”
And they organized the March for their lives.

They marched by the thousands and staged mass die-ins.
They withstood snow storms, still carrying their signs.
Some stood alone, going against the tide.
But they all counted souls, all the souls they have lost.

The children are Marching for their Lives.
Some think they’re too young, but they are wise.
They have had enough of our thoughts and prayers.
They alone are standing up to the NRA.

They’ve taken to the streets and to City Halls.
They’ve stood before their governors and within Congress’ walls.
And even the little ones who cannot yet vote
marched beside their comrades and spoke in one voice.

They’re daring politicians to ignore their plight.
They’re taking on the ballot box to vote in the Fall.
They’re riding on the shoulders of generations before.
And they’re coming to take your place.

The children are Marching for their Lives.
Some think they’re too young, but they are wise.
They have had enough of our thoughts and prayers.
They alone are standing up to the NRA.