Not again!
- Marilyn Saltzman
- Mar 23, 2021
- 1 min read
Not again!
I can’t write about it.
I can’t write about anything else.
Surely can’t polish my unfinished blog about generosity.
Not today.
So I took a walk around the neighborhood.
It was snowing, gently at first.
The wind picked up; my hat and gloves, speckled and damp.
Snowflakes settled on my bare cheeks, mixing with the tears.
Another mass shooting. This time in Boulder.
Too close for comfort.
I have shopped at that King Soopers; my cousins live near.
I was at Columbine.
I was at Platte Canyon.
So dear friends call, text and email.
“Are you OK?”
The truth: I am not OK.
Memories overtake me:
Crying students, shell-shocked staff, frantic parents
Helicopters buzzing overhead
Swarms of media seeking answers
Racing ambulances
Bloodied classrooms
Last night, I dreamt of dodging an attacking feral cat.
I woke, rushing to see the latest news.
Sobbing as I read the names of the Boulder victims.
Ten lives lost; countless forever changed.
Not OK. Not again!
I remember how your voice woke me out of a stupor while watching CNN reporting about the Columbine massacre. I had no idea you worked for Jeffco schools and it had been many years since we were neighbors in Apple Meadows, but I opened my eyes and there you were. And here you are again and the horror has happened again. Sadly, we have made no progress with the issue of mass shootings. Stay safe in this crazy world, my friend.