Not the first
Probably not the last
But a march for the books
Created by students
Enacted by students
Led by students
Encompassing the world
And demanding change.
What about the “Naysayers”?
They should have stayed in school March 14.
They walked OUT for 17 minutes of silence to honor the 17 dead.
They should “walk up” and make friends with the disenfranchised.
Respect for their peers, who are alone, should occur every day.
They should arm the teachers.
Teachers already provide instruction and in many cases, act as:
social workers, nurses, truant officers, coaches, curriculum writers,
test monitors, behavior management specialists,
cooks, transportation provider, time manager, hall monitor,
and every other role legislated/mandated in your state.
They should have spent the money from the march on education and services for the mentally ill.
When the President signed the Executive Order that allowed
easier access to guns for the mentally ill?
When Congress has reduced the funding for mentally ill individuals,
the students should supplant it with their funding?
The students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School were organized, articulate, and such exemplar products of our public schools.
Speaking (and publicly puking from fear) from the heart to explain that this has become the “new normal” with active shooter drills, in between test prep, and wondering about college acceptance letters, prom and graduation. Those events their 14 classmates cannot participate in because they are dead. Those seventeen lives lost in six minutes and twenty seconds.
They are fighting for their lives.
They are fighting for the lives of all the children that come after them.
They are fighting for the lives of ALL folks lost to gun violence.
They deserve to be heard.
They deserve our respect.
They deserve our praise.
They deserve our support.
They are our future.
Thank you, Betsy, Beth, Deb, Kathleen, Lanny, Melanie, and Stacey for this daily forum each March. Check out the writers, readers and teachers here. 
And special thanks to Margaret Simon for the helpful advice on this post. Check out her post, “Marching”, here. Other slices can be found here, here and here.
Wonderfully powerful word regarding a very important topic.
Thanks. It took some time to remove my own anger that this has been left to students to create a solution!
I just hit send on a letter to my state senator in opposition to a bill on arming teachers. Such an idiotic response, if you ask me. Guns, guns, more guns. I think your post is powerful and strong. They deserve our praise, our support, our love, not more guns.
Margaret,
I agree.
More guns are never the solution.
I love the use of white space in poem – the shape set me up for the seesaw structure that followed. It flowed throughout pushing the reader to see the contrasting views. Well done! (and agreed on all counts!)
Clare,
Thanks. so many aspects of the March and the surrounding events!
I have heard people say things such as, “Who do these kids think they are telling adults what to do?” Really? If the adults in charge have no common sense who better to tell them something needs to be done but the future…while there still is a future.
ahhhhh “. . . while there still is a future.” I think that is why the immediacy of action is so critical! The adults have had 10 years since Columbine, 19 years and what have they done? Really?
Their entire lifetime with no action. Is that acceptable?
The back and forth-ness of this post works powerfully, Fran. It captures the arguments and disagreements. So proud of these student, but so, so sad for them.
So many emotions collected over the years. So easy to see why our youth are no longer remaining patient. That 6 minutes and 23 seconds was a lifetime!