An Ode (Honoring Virginia Tech.)

April 20, 1999 October 2, 2006 Dates we swore to never forget Dates you now are struggling to remember What had come to pass those days Remember what you forgot to remember April 16, 2007 33 33 people dead 33 lives wasted 33 who will never be given the chance to forget They may have gone on to do great things They may have gone on to do mediocre things We don’t know what they would have gone on to do. But we know at any rate … they would have gone on. Why did these people have to die? Why did the people at Columbine and that school in Pennsylvania have to die? Why will people continue to die? These types of massacres won't stop. It seems there is always going to be another crazy with a gun. There will always be more innocent lives taken. Why? Is there anything any of us can do about it? What if we all were just a little bit kinder to each other? Why is humanity such a rarity? Is showing sympathy such a difficult thing? We make others feel worthless. We leave psychological scars. We are the bullies. But what if we weren’t? What if we went out of our way to be kind? To compliment rather than put down. To make someone’s day. To treat people with some dignity and respect. Would that make the difference? Or is it something in the shooters brains that can't be helped? What if it didn't matter? What if it made all the difference in the world? What if?