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firebirdiePoems
we were told this was preparation, not surrender. we were told to turn off the lights, as if darkness could pass for safety. we learned the sound of desks scraping floors before we learned multiplication, before we learned recess, before we learned what this really means. we were told to stay quiet. we practiced silence like it was a skill that might save us. the intercom crackles— today it’s just practice, they say. but any day could be real. we huddle in the corner, backs to the wall, knees pulled in, sitting ducks. no one teaches us how to run, how to break a window, how to leave the building. we are taught how to wait together, how to stay still. we were told this was rare, even as it happened again and again and again. we were told school was a safe place— and then taught where to hide.
0
Mar 30
Mar 30, 2026 at 7:47 PM UTC
The Drill
we were told this was preparation, not surrender. we were told to turn off the lights, as if darkness could pass for safety. we learned the sound of desks scraping floors before we learned multiplication, before we learned recess, before we learned what this really means. we were told to stay quiet. we practiced silence like it was a skill that might save us. the intercom crackles— today it’s just practice, they say. but any day could be real. we huddle in the corner, backs to the wall, knees pulled in, sitting ducks. no one teaches us how to run, how to break a window, how to leave the building. we are taught how to wait together, how to stay still. we were told this was rare, even as it happened again and again and again. we were told school was a safe place— and then taught where to hide.
We practiced hiding before we learned how to live. This shouldn’t be normal.
#school#fear#safety#america#youth#violence#reality
firebirdie
Written by
firebirdie
15
Mar 30
Mar 30, 2026 at 7:47 PM UTC
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