Look Both Ways

Look both ways
Before you cross the street
Tie up your shoes
So you don’t trip over your feet
Be careful with scissors
You might cut yourself
Never talk to strangers
Always ask for help

Eat all your vegetables
So you get big and strong
Go to bed early
Or you’ll be tired all day long
No walking round the block
Unless you ask permission
You can’t watch those big kid shows
On the television

No running in the hallways
Only single file

Now sit down in that chair
You’ll be there for awhile
Always raise your hand
When you need to ask
Don’t interrupt an adult
In the middle of a task

Give me a kiss goodnight
A wave when you get on the bus
A call when you get there
I’m sorry I make such a fuss
It’s only because I love you
It’s only because I care
Because if I lost you in a moment
I’d tell you it isn’t fair

I’ll recall your laughter
How you lit up with the sun
You could bring people together
And you always had such fun
You would make believe
Run and play
And I never thought
I could ever feel this way

Unprecedented events
How do we cope?
I asked a man
And he gave me some hope

Do guns kill people?
Do people kill people?
Do guns kill people?
Do people kill people?

I asked him this
And then I thought it through
There was no way in hell
I’d ever know the truth

Follow the golden rule
Love each other
Hug your sister, your brother
Your father, and mother

Say you’re sorry
When you get pretty mad
Don’t be afraid to tell others
Why you feel so sad

Learn from mistakes
Believe that you can
Gain some trust
Say ‘I’m proud of who I am’

I don’t know many answers
Because life’s a chance of fate
But I reflect on loss
In times of fragile states

I hear their footsteps down the hallway
A muffled giggle as they pass
And I think to myself
They must be at peace at last.