When I heard about the atrocity that took place in Orlando, in which an armed domestic terrorist took the lives of innocent club goers, I knew that I had to write about it. I thought about writing an article about prejudice, religious rights, LGBTQA+ rights, gun control, or the event itself. I have a lot to say about those and am confident about my opinions, but it would not feel right. It would not do any good repeating facts that everyone already knows or sharing an argumentative opinion. This attack was just one of many terrible things covered by recent news. It is not uncommon to wake up in the morning and hear that a terrible, culture-altering atrocity took place while you were asleep.

Whether we talk about Orlando, Paris, London, or the almost daily attacks that happen in many Middle Eastern countries, much of the dialogue is the same. There are different underlying issues with different occurrences, but when broken down, similar conversations are repeated. I did not write a news article, because the mass shooting in Orlando, and ones like it, have already been covered with facts and politics. I wanted to cover it with the emotions that result from not only processing a horrifying incident, but from processing one's changing culture. This poem is not only for Orlando, but also the rest of the world.

"June 13, 2016"*

I always try to see the

Beautiful things in life.

The sky.

The clouds that float around

In a kaleidoscope of shapes.

The smell of sun on skin.

Bare feet on cool sand

And splashing of colored waves.

Warm hands.

The company of friends.

Long walks through tall grass

And footsteps on summer pavements.

Painted stars on canvas

Melting into eyes.

And music dancing through ears.

The world is naturally beautiful,

But it gets harder every day.

It gets harder and harder

To see all the beauty this world has.

It is covered

By a dark, starless cloak.

It is thick and moonless.

It is wide enough to cover

The opaled moonflowers

That shine and grow in the dark.

It is hate,

Powered by apathy,

Strengthened by the words that fly

Like neon birds from the mouth

Of those who cower behind these drapes.

It is the twisted time traveler

Who haunts and ghosts around

To stop time and to keep the world

From moving Into a bright future.

It is cowardice that tries

To usurp love

By killing all that is beautiful.

It wants us to hate.

It wants us to all

Give up

Hope,

Dreams,

Holding hands and standing tall.

It wants us to stop believing

In love.

When we give in,

We can't open out hearts

To strangers,

Nor hold out our hands

To help a friend.

We can't hold our loved ones

In our arms

Nor kiss the ones

We love the most.

We can't even place our hands

Over our hearts and feel

Our lonely pulse

As it beats against silence.

We can't hear our own footsteps

As they step over rain-spotted sidewalks.

But we won't stop.

We will keep standing

With our hands clasped together

Like locks

And our hearts and minds

Directed towards the future.

We will keep standing for love

Until it is clear as air

That we are a world

Built from a rainbow of

Different minds and faces.

We are one world

That can only be torn apart by hate

And can only be healed

Through love.

*The mass shooting in Orlando took place on June 12, 2016. This poem is about processing it the day afterwards.