Five years now it's been since
A gunman stormed Sandy Hook
And killed twenty-six people there
In a cruel, heinous act that shook

The country--no, that shook the world--
And left everyone asking how
Such an event could occur.
But don't dare mention the sacred cow:

Guns in America and people who
Shouldn’t have them, and heaven forbid
That anyone bring up gun legislation.
We watch as gun lobbyists outbid

The rest of us, who sound the alarm,
Announcing a call to action, while
Legislators sit on their butts,
Afraid to act--refusing to rile

Donors, supporters, their base, and Second
Amendment fanatics, obdurate in
Their uncompromising approach to
An argument that's wearing thin.

Many people will never get over
Their indescribable loss and grief
From something that in America
Has become a recurring motif.

Twenty children and six adults
Were killed at the school. Don't forget.
And what's been done since then, despite
More shootings? Zilch, as of yet!

As we acknowledge the innocent victims
Of Sandy Hook, remember that prayers
Will not suffice as the only solution
For shootings for anybody who cares.

-by Bob B (12-14-17)