An original poem by Konner Donté Watson (me), this poem reflects on unity among Americans in light of the outbreak of shootings this past month.

Sometimes, I feel

that it isn't easy to sleep like a log at night.

Lately when I go get my news,

all I see is the same headline:

"Deadly shooting in a major city",

happening in Chicago, Denver, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and Birmingham.

All the time, the details involve

a mentally ill male with access to guns.

Innocent lives doing uneventful things,

from a video game tournament to a country music festival,

lifelong trauma thrust upon them.

Not even Black Friday

was a break from such senseless violence.

While all of this goes on,

people only grow

more suspicious. More paranoid. More outraged.

The empathy between others disappearing,

even as our president does nothing to curb the tragedies.

We all suffer from this,

so we need each other.

Man, woman, boy, girl, sister, brother, young and old.

Although the warning signs are

indeed hard to see,

everyone must be on the same page.

If it is activism, education or support groups,

the Americans shall come together.

Overcoming their differences,

before the next gunman sheds blood.