To the young man who died at Corona del Sol this week:
I can’t help but wonder
What signs people missed.
And if they didn’t miss
And yet said nothing,
How do they justify
Their lack of action.
I’ve stood outside the church
Waiting to bury
A young man of eighteen.
Crushed inside a car
Thrown from a motor bike
Senseless acts of fate.
No one should be buried
At such a young age.
Nine days before he walked
Dressed in cap and gown.
How do the remaining
Grieve without dying?
No words can describe it
The action you took.
Desperate, lonely, angry
Helpless, hopeless, sad.
Those words are meaningless
Stupid, useless words.
You are forever gone
To those who loved you,
To the one who birthed you,
To the friends who cared,
To those who wished they’d known,
Who wished they’d listened.
The one who broke your heart,
The ones left grieving.
There can be no reason
Acceptable to them.
They will have to remain
On earth to miss you.
Why couldn’t you listen
To the last person
Who reached out and begged you
To put down the gun?
Why — a worthless question
You took the answers.
Connie Wesala 