LJ Idol- Prompt 9- Edgelord

[drippedonpaper]

Humans bleed red
No matter their skin color.
All broken bodies
Used to laugh.

Blood is life.
So often it drips for politics,
A mother's son dies for a leader's power.

We becomes desensitized
To hate,
"He's just an edgelord."
"She just wants attention."

True.
But how about,
"He doesn't know what love is."
She is hurting."

It's so easy for me to dismiss
The statuses and photos flooding my feed:
So many Go Fund Me's,
So many petitions.
Everyone needs a dollar,
Needs a job,
Needs a chance.

I'm tired,
Numb,
I can't solve them all
So too often I do nothing.
Who deserves my time?
Why do I need to choose?
What if I help the wrong one?

But how did we get here?
Too many of us
Did nothing.

Perhaps that's the saddest part,
In all our ability to know
All the info in the world.
We're just overwhelmed,
Paralyzed.

When life was small,
There were only so many neighbors to wave at.

I can't give up.
But part of each week,
I try to also do the small.

I'm working on my front flower bed.
It's something I can touch,
Something I can change.
A place without shooting drills.

Life is a mix:
Breathe,
Garden,
Vote.
And when able
Defend the rights of all
To plant flowers without fear.
To sleep without the sound of bombs.
To sit in schools without gunfire.

Don't get paralyzed,
By fear or hate.
Sometimes,
Nurture your soul,
Make a life worth fighting for.

Comments

[alycewilson]

A sober reflection on the state of today.

[drippedonpaper]

It's been a hard week, honestly.

Also a long term family friend died. One who...he brought joy wherever he was.

Ah. Thanks for commenting!

[muchtooarrogant]

You're so right about the barrage of pleas demanding our attention. I like the idea of something manageable, your flowerbed, so as not to get overwhelmed.

Dan

[drippedonpaper]

Now if the flowerbed would just be manageable...feels I am always fighting weeds. But ...at least weeds don't talk!

[bassicallytom]

You are touching on end-state capitalism. Too much need, not enough available resources. Do what you can touch but keep speaking your truth.

[drippedonpaper]

I appreciate your encouragement every day :)

[halfshellvenus]

To sit in schools without gunfire.
Such a simple thing, and too outrageous to be the bare minimum of expectations, and yet politicians who could help the situation do nothing. It's maddening.

[drippedonpaper]

Definitely :(

So much on the news...but, with all the (way too many) shootings of all kinds...what about the kids? And I don't mean just kids in the USA.

Thanks for commenting!

[legalpad819]

I have to say, the scariest part for me is sending the kids into the world and not feeling like they're totally safe. I have one at college and it seems SO far away and the others in local schools, but really, how can school feel safe these days?

[drippedonpaper]

I don't know :( 2 weeks ago, my youngest daughters' college had an active shooter scare. I admit, hearing about it, seeing the photos, all the police and reading updates as they searched buildings...I wanted to drive up there, but it was all locked down and truly, it's not like that would have helped anyone.

Every day is a gift. I guess we just have to focus on the now.

Hugs to you. You're not alone in your worry, I'm right there with you.

[marjorica]

Yup. All around us is fear and hate.

[drippedonpaper]

But Idol is often a bright spot..thanks for being part of that!

[inkstainedfingertips]

This is both beautiful and sad. And it rings with absolute truth.

This bit struck me the hardest:

True.
But how about,
"He doesn't know what love is."
She is hurting."

To often, we never think about what another person might be going through.

Wonderful piece, Maria.

[drippedonpaper]

Something turns people cruel. Maybe genetics, but often I think it's pain. The cliche "hurt people hurt people" is so true. Something happens that makes people think...pain is the only way.

I appreciate your comments!

[flipflop_diva]

I want to say I love this, but it feels wrong for such a heavy and depressing topic. But you did a really good job with it, and I love your ending stanza the most.

[drippedonpaper]

I'm struggling to understand it myself. I'm glad you got something from it. Thank you so much!