In the streets where laughter once danced,

Now shadows linger, dreams entranced.

The echoes of youth, in chaos, collide,

In search of solace, in search of pride.

Broken glass glimmers like hopes unkept,

Each flash of violence, a promise that wept.

With every heart lost, with every soul torn,

A future lies fractured, a nation forlorn.

Where are the shields the watchful eyes?

In alleyways dark, innocence cries.

When did our playgrounds turn into battlegrounds?

When did our joy become lost, never found?

Leaders AWAKE! Hear our urgent call -  

These tender lives matter, let none of them fall,

With empathy rising, let kindness entwine,

In choosing our actions, let love be the sign.

We stand at the brink, together we rise,

With whispers of hope, ‘neath Scotland's vast skies.

For our children, our future, in unity, strive,

In nurturing peace, we’ll keep hope alive.

So, let's craft a change, where together we stand,

Forging a place where we cradle each hand.

In a tapestry woven with courage and grace,

We’ll mend what's been broken and reclaim our space.

The heather weeps, a purple bruise,
Across the glens, the chilling news.
No bagpipes drone a mournful sound,
But sirens wail on hallowed ground.
A thistle bleeds, its prickling crown,
As innocence is stricken down.
Young eyes, once bright with Highland fire,
Now gleam with something dark and dire.
The steel they flash, a twisted boast,
A stolen childhood, dearly lost.
Each shadowed lane, a whispered fear,
Of blades that gleam and futures near,
Consumed by rage, a hollow pride,
Where youthful dreams have gone to hide.
Parents clutch, with hearts ablaze,
Afraid to loose in this iron maze.
The ancient stones, they stand and stare,
At broken vows and whispered prayer.
Can Scotland rise, her spirit mend,
And teach these children how to bend,
The steel to craft, the hands to heal,
And learn the wounds are truly real?
To trade the blade for open hand,
And reclaim peace within the land.