How can I make it clear
That I'm tired
Of picking up a newspaper
Glancing at articles
And reading
For another day in a row
That across the ocean blue
There lies mothers who have lost their children
Husbands their wives
Children who have lost their fathers
With a flash of light
An explosion
And less than a few seconds

How can I make it clear
That I'm tired
Of checking this site
Other forms of social media
And seeing
For another day in a row
My notifications flooded
With images of solidarity
Flags painted in broken colors
Hands grasped together
Pictures drawn in support
Crying out against fear
Saying everything will be alright
And yet it's not

How can I make this clear
That I'm tired
Of looking into my inbox
Going online
And seeing
People spouting hateful lies
Quick judgments based on opinion
Shouts of them, their, theirs
Rallying against people
From all walks of life
Saying they're killing us
And knowing there isn't a them

How can I make this clear
That I'm tired
Of doing nothing
Of not being able to do anything
That all I can do is sit behind my computer
Hash out this poem
While across the ocean
Cities in other countries burn
France
Belgium
Turkey
Yemen
Syria
And dozens more I cannot name or find

How can I make this clear
That I'm tired
Of saying enough
Because this has to stop