This Is For the Ones Who Lived
M.E. Martin

When will enough be enough
When will enough blood be shed
When will enough young men be sacrificed
When will enough be tears cried

Aren't we tired of the sounds of gunfire
Aren't we tired of the grief of mothers
Aren't we tired of the screams in the night
Aren't we tired of the burying of our youth

How high does the body count have to be
How high does the murder count have to climb
How high does the piles of dirt in the cemetary have to be
How high does the stench of death have to be before the smell is too much

Isn't it time we stop letting the streets raise our children
Isnt' it time we stop letting the pursuit of money blind us to what's really going on
Isn't it time we stop letting the children tell us how to keep it real
Isn't it time we stop letting the madness be the reality

How stained with blood does our streets have to be
How stained with tears does our faces have to be
How stained with shame does our consciences have to become
How stained with quilt before something is really done

We can't let the dreams of our forefathers die
We can't let ourselves keep turning a blind eye
We can't let the enemy win this fight
We can't let the children be forgotten because we get busy with "life"

When will enough be enough
When will enough blood be shed
When will enough young men be sacrificed
When will enough tears be cried

so very powerful.

A lot of things were happening in my city when this was written. We lost a lot of young men to gunfire and senseless violence in one summer 54 people died all young men all under the age of 17. And then there were the ones lost who committed the crimes. Such a long summer.

When, as a nation, we decide to change our priorities and focus on those most vulnerable in our society....when we decide that our best defense is to invest in OUR children, instead of investing in building/maintaining an arsenal of weapons and bombs.

When we see the prison system for what it is...BIG business, and start investing in the things that would help children from ending up behind bars to begin with...

When...


Excellent write Emmy

Thanks Angel, we are on the same page...peace

Very well done!
But do you think that day is soon....or so very,very far away?
There seems to be just as many people wanting to f*** the world up as those who want to offer peace and positive advancement for the species. Sadly, your poem reflects our history and I feel that it will take something so drastic to Finally open our eyes to the ruiNation that we are becoming that we might not survive to see the world we all hope for deep down. I will hope as you have....

I think it starts with one voice raised in protest and as others are added to them we can become as mighty as the ones who have created the very history we are now facing. When we can stop and teach our children not to give up on themselves we can make a history we can all be proud of. Chasing the dollar was supposed to make life easier but all it has done was make it easier to keep the little people (children) uncertain and without anyone to really look after them. One of the most profound questions I have never heard an answer to is "What about the children?"

Well, that is the salient question "What about the children?". But it's so hard to teach when the TV offers you to "chase" the other paths, like the dollar you mentioned, or when the peers of youth sway the child away from what you've tried to instil. We all want acceptance, we all need it even if we say we don't, and oft people are willing to do anything to be "one of the gang", no matter what that child has been taught. But I'm rambling, I know that people are all born decent and equal...this will just take some time for a safer world...I hope.

When

Girl, if I could snap my fingers and have it done!!

I have several nieces and nephews but only one I have direct day to day contact in raising. I told him and (all of them really) still tell him don't be like the crowd let the crowd be like you, he is a really cool kid. He is smart, he is funny and a good ball player (football and basketball)but I think it takes all of us to raise the children with love.

You can ramble as much as you want. Sometimes my best poems come from ramblings either mine or someone elses...peace

Thanks LAMom....

I really like that:"let the crowd be like you" I wish I had met you years ago!

Thanks for the flowers...

Aww ain't ya sweet...

Thank you for sharing. Very moving.

Powerful and moving!

@GCLife--Thank you very much...

@Lurch's Sister----Thanks for reading...