A Reminder Poem by Michelle Dragonfly

Where do I start?
With the victims?
The fighters?
The bruised?
The lost children,
wondering when they'll finally get home?
Wondering what home really is?

Or should I start with the others?
The ones who made them feel this way?
The bullies?
The parents?
The teachers?
The demons in their heads?

But who really knows where it started?
This vicious cycle of hatred and despair
That never seems to end.
We didn't just wake up one day broken.
There has to be a reason somewhere.

Nothing is going to change.
Not on its own.
Everyone will lose someone.
A family member, a friend, themselves,
To this cruel, warped idea.
Suicide.

But is it really suicide?
When the words of others are the cause?
When the actions of others are the cause?
If they thought there was no other option
Because the people they needed the most
Just couldn't see it, or didn't want to deal with it?
Didn't have the time?

They say it's a phase,
That we'll get over it.
Or worse, we're just looking for attention.
If this is for attention, why do we hide the scars?
Why do we smile even though we're dead inside?
Why do we say nothing is wrong,
When really nothing is right?
Just because you just found out doesn't mean
It hasn't been there for years.

People think that a simple "get over it"
Can solve all of the problems
When really, it doesn't do a thing
But make them feel worse
Because they've tried that already
And it didn't work. They're still falling.
Can you not see this?
Are you that blind to the world?

And one day it'll be too late.
Your little baby will be gone.
Their brains all over their bedroom floor
And a note saying "Sorry for the mess."
An apology they genuinely mean.
Whether you believe it or not.
By the time you see their struggle,
They're dead.
Buried.
Gone.

So listen up.
Put down your phone, your computer.
Talk to your kids.
Help them, because they do need it.
It'll be too late if you don't listen.
Take this to heart.
Remember.
Or else you will lose them.