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Is It Too Much to Ask #VirginiaBeachShooting

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Is it too much to ask

That when I washed my face at the sink in my gym

I did not see the CNN news-crawl crawling with the words “another mass shooting.”

Is it too much to ask

That I don’t bear this knowledge alone

That I can tell my husband as soon as I get home, to share the pain, the horror

Is it too much to ask

That I don’t keep silent during dinner

That I don’t refrain from sharing the pain because he doesn’t know yet

I don’t want to be the one to break his heart

Is it too much to ask

That I wake up in the morning not feeling anxious and afraid

And when I do wake up feeling anxious and afraid

It’s only because I had too much wine last night, or had a bad dream that I don’t remember

Is it too much to ask

That I don’t get used to this

this murder-suicide that my country seems so intent on committing

Is it too much to ask

That I don’t feel a need to write these words instead of working on my novel or my essays or my short stories or anything but my grief over another mass shooting

That my grief doesn’t grow with every shooting, every time one person is injured, one person is killed

Is it too much to ask

To not talk about how mass shootings could be prevented if only:

if only that shooter hadn’t been bullied by his fellow students

if only that shooter hadn’t lost his job

if only that shooter had met a “decent” woman who would have sex with him

if only the Tree of Life Synagogue had had better security

if only houses of God were not perceived as sanctuaries

if only the Hot Yoga Tallahassee studio had had metal detectors at the entrance

if only the yogis hadn’t been in child pose and at peace

if only the worshipers at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church hadn’t welcomed the shooter to pray with them

if only they hadn’t had so much faith

if only everyone carried a gun

if only we all lived in constant fear would we be free

Is it too much to ask

to live in a society that values the freedom to go about our daily lives unmolested and unafraid, not worrying about whether today is the day you die because you went

to your yoga practice

to your place of worship

to the movie theater

to a concert

to work

Is it too much to ask

To live without fear

To live without being in a constant state of grief

 

Categories: #NeverAgain

Tagged as:

Marie A Bailey

Writer, blogger, knitter, cat lover, and introvert.

28 replies ›

  1. Wow, do you and I have the same writing style. Amazingly written. Great work indeed! I too, take time from my major writing projects to blog about current political events of madness in the world. Imagine how much more work we could all accomplish if this insanity didn’t prevail. Prayers to every victim of true evil in this world.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. No, it is not too much to ask, Marie. It seems reasonable that we all should be able to go through life without worrying about the deranged among us who cannot resist killing others. Excellent post.

    Liked by 4 people

  3. I most definitely don’t think it’s too much to ask, Marie. Why should we live in fear that an unstable individual, who puts no value on the precious gift of life, could so selfishly take our life or that of our loved ones? Praying for the victims and their families. Thank you for this, Marie. ❤

    Liked by 3 people

  7. We all know it’s not too much to ask. Thank you, Marie.
    It scares me that we as a country are becoming numb. How many people killed does it take now to be major news?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Not too long ago there was a school shooting in Colorado. I think *only* two people died so the news media covered it for a few hours. That is part of the problem, isn’t it. We’re being conditioned to only respond with X number of people are killed.

      Liked by 2 people

    1. Thank you, Linda ❤️ I had some trepidation with this post but I’m relieved to know I’m not the only one with these thoughts ❤️❤️

      Like

  12. I love this, Marie, especially the rambling and yet concise nature of the piece.
    It’s to the point that mass shootings have become common news, almost ordinary, almost expected. It’s scary, and surreal. Up here in Alaska, people LOVE their guns, they worship their guns, they are firm in the belief that they need, really need them for, like, protection from predators of both the two and four legged variety. I see men packing at the grocery store, on the hiking trails, the dog park, etc. It’s scary because I think a lot of these people (and women up here pack, too, don’t get me wrong) carry a gun with the secret desire or fear of someday having to use it. Which, in turns, could easily make them overly defensive, if/when a situation gets tight. Whatever the case, I am becoming more and more discouraged by the policies of this country.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It is surreal that with all the evidence to the contrary, people believe that carrying guns make them safer. Recently in Florida two motorists got into a fight and shot each other. Fatally. Guns saved no lives that day. I do think some people are hoping for a John Wayne moment which is really scary. And I’ve heard that the last thing anyone should do is use a gun to protect themselves from wildlife, like bears. I’m pinning all my hopes on 2020.

      Like

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