The U.S. has had 2,032 school shootings since 1970

In January 17, 1987, my son was at Cleveland Elementary School when shooter, Patrick Purdy shot and killed five school children and wounded 32 others. I was not allowed to get my son for 2 hours. The school had to contact the parents of the killed children before they let us get our kids. It was the worse 2 hours in my life. My son watched his friend get shot and wounded as they both ran to hide in the bathroom. Michael Jackson came to the school and performed a private concert for the kids and teachers. He also donated money to cover the therapy cost for all the children. My son attended therapy for a year. He drew terrifying pictures of kids getting shot. He has always been an extraordinary artist and drawing helped him to process the horror of a school shooting.

The Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24, 2022, in Texas, when, Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old, shot and killed nineteen students and two teachers at the school, wounding seventeen others. Earlier that day, Salvador shot and wounded his grandmother. Ramos legally purchased two AR-15s and several hundred rounds of ammunition shortly after turning 18. He was shot and killed on the scene. It is the third-deadliest American school shooting.

He used an AR-15 rifle typically used for mass shootings. The shooter can keep firing up to 100 times before stopping to reload. AR-15s are affordable and widely available. You can get one for as low as $250 online. They fire high-velocity bullets that cause expansive, devastating wounds to soft tissue and internal organs. More than 16 million of the rifles had been sold to the American public by 2018.

Each day 12 children die from gun violence in America. Another 32 are shot and injured. wikipedia

MODERN TANKA is a Japanese poetic form. The form was created 1,200 years ago. It used to be written between lovers but now you can write about anything you want. Like haiku, it's written in a succinct manner in 31 syllables (5/7/5/7/7) OR LESS. Personification, metaphor, and simile are permitted in Tanka. Capitalization and punctuation should only be used when necessary. No end rhymes. click here if you want to see tanka rules -- click here if you want to see modern tanka examples -- click here if you want to read free online tanka book -- click here to read Tanka Society of America â?? click here to read Masterpiece Classes

Thank you very much for taking the time to read and review my poem.

Gypsy
"The poet waits quietly to paint the unsaid." Atticus

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