By Daniel Paiz

Writing poetry isn’t confined to just the month of April, and here’s our first entry outside of NaPoWriMo. “But like, why though?” is a response I’ve found myself thinking or muttering to myself lately quite often. There’s plenty around us to call into question these days, and that includes another shooting.

The following piece requests that you debate or at least ask why you have the reaction you have to violence and breaking news. Why do those of us in the United States seem accustomed to the violence delivered to us on the news yet seem to think things will change with no real change implemented; cue the aforementioned title.

But like, why though?

Find it heart wrenching,

find it saddening,

go ahead and feel sick to your stomach.

But like a drizzle on a huge forest fire,

those tears of varying emotions might not

impact more than your own coping method.

there’s a lot of wanting to act,

largely followed by national inaction.

But like, why though?

Life is not a zero-sum game,

some kind of game theory,

where one lives and then dies.

Hopefully for most human beings out there,

there’s a grayer area to it than that.

Where ideas and beliefs lead

to eventful but sometimes mundane results,

that might or might not track.

I’m supposed to work,

go to a job that I disassociate or love or hate,

repeat the same action,

expect time put away for retired attractions,

and dislike or blank out the day to day.

That’s considered normal,

expected of what one is supposed to do,

and this country wonders why the state of mental health

tastes as it does in this retching stew?

too many times the masses have defined insanity,

then proceed to repeat it in step,

pardon lack of emotion from another byproduct of US violence,

so many have decided not to pay attention yet,

if power is protected and the systems in place protect that,

how exactly do you think these shootings will stop when laws passed?

those in power will “protect” by having a populace to oppress.

But like, why though?

it’s absolutely sad and unnecessary

the deaths of humans and those malaised,

but unless a fundamental systemic shift happens,

this is the modern currency of maintaining America’s day to day.