Tears-by Jamie Rowen -Miranda Williams

I did not cry for Michigan. It seemed before my time. I did not cry for Jonesboro, too far away to mind. I did not cry for Palisades even though it may be mine. I did not cry for Conyers, Georgia. By then it all seemed fine. But I poured my heart right through my eyes The day they shot up Columbine.The tears they fell for children lost And children on the line. My head fell quick into my hands for parents who must pine. My eyes stayed glossy to a screen Watching kids of my own climb. But, What shook my body up the most, What made it hard to breathe, What bolted all my stomach down And wouldn't let me leave. What made me think about those boys And try to empathize Was the fright, the fear, the look of death In one scared victim's eyes. She described a scene so horror-filled So wrapped with movie cut. I thought about these kids and film what put them in their ruts. I ruled out only media-- we all watch similar things But combined with loneliness and fear Who knows what games can bring? One lesson to be learned from this, The only one for which I'm sure, Is that a gun manufacturer, movie title, music       lyric, parent, anti-depressant, Internet       trench-coat, insult, or whatever else, Is not the thing at fault. And no gun policy, censorship, parent in jail,       drug ban, Web-site check, dress code,       suspension, or whatever else, Would have removed their every thought. We must take looks inside ourselves,       accepting looks with love. For what they didn't like in someone else, Is what they saw in themselves. This Poem Tears is about how the Columbine shooting made this one girl feel. I like this poem because it speaks for many people and how they felt when the Columbine shooting took place. She describes how horrifying it had to be especially for the families of the victims involved. She expresses how she cried for the children who lost their lives and how they were around her age. I can relate to how she felt because when I saw the news that day in 1999 I too cried, and felt deep sympathy as well. The author of this poem even wonders what the murders were thinking at that time, what was going through their minds as they were committing this act of violence? One would have to wonder if they were crying out for help prior to when this catastrophe took place. In this poem Jamie Rowen talks about how someone other than these guys should be held accountable, how did they get these ideas, where did they get these guns, why was it ok for them to come to school in long trench coats during the month of April? Is it possible that these questions could have prevented these acts? I think so, maybe if they didn’t have access to these items then maybe they would’ve thought twice about their plan. When we look at school violence we also need to look at whether or not there was a prevention plan in place. Are High Schools allowed to do locker searches at any given time? The author brings up a valid point about whether there were recent web browsing sweeps therefore teachers and/or parents will know what their children are checking out on the web. As a mom I feel that it is very necessary to check everything my child is looking up on the internet. I agree that if some of these things were looked at then maybe things would not have been possible to happen. I especially like the last line where she says “We must take looks inside ourselves, accepting looks with love. For what they didn't like in someone else, is what they saw in themselves.” Basically she’s saying that they hated things so much that they wanted to kill others when obviously they didn’t have much self-worth. When I read this poem I cried because it took me back to that day when I had heard about the shooting and I could not believe how it was possible for two teenagers to come into school with guns, knives, bombs, and etc. without anyone thinking that it wasn’t strange. Due to that act of school violence, several schools now have more security and metal detectors. Although I used to be against students being forced to wear uniforms, I felt that it took away from their individuality but I realized that a child being uniformed was a must so that there won’t be any more masked murderers in our children’s High School wearing long trench coats. http://smiley00.tripod.com/poem213.html

Song number 2 lyrics:

Violence rules! (x5) Violence rules, guns are cool and we've got guns, in our school (x2) 20 people livin' on a desert isle They're all friendly they all smile Then the food supply gets too low 20 people 10 gotta go Violence rules, guns are cool and we've got guns, in our school (x2) 1,000 people gather in the streets of Manhattan The lights go out guess what happens? It's time to steal, it's time to shoot! It's time to rob... taste my boot! Violence rules! (x5) Violence rules, guns are cool and we've got guns, in our school (x2) Violence rules, guns are cool (x2) Violence rules, guns are cool and we've got guns, in our school