The Last Place

They see it in the movies first,

a work of fiction yet its similarities

are obvious even to a young child,

the metal is cold, calculating and it

is the color of death,

They think of it as cool, badass,

a thing that is meant for the most

well-trained professionals be it

James Bond or John Wayne,

be it a military colonel or cop,

on the news though they learn

that is not always the case,

They see it on the streets next,

when they’re old enough to go

hang out with the older boys,

or when they’re caught at the

wrong place at the wrong time,

they see it with a badge and a

pounding heart, hands raised,

They thought This was gonna be

the one place that was safe,

the one place where you knew

your teacher, who loves you

and cares for you, would

never ever hurt you especially

by accident,

They didn’t expect to see it here

at school.