School Massacres

It's getting to the point where my heart
hardly skips a beat on hearing the news
of another school massacre. I think,
"Oh, well, you pay a steep price at
times of war," then I stop myself and
ask, loudly, "What goddamn war?
The one on the other side of the world?"
What are kids learning that gives them
no respect for anyone's life, not even
their own? Is it the abstinence-only
programs? No, that's just too idiotic.
Is it the daily stories of hundreds
of deaths at our hands? Maybe.
The problem runs deeper into the ruts
of our civilization than we'd like to
admit. Call me crazy, but I'm certain
that if I actually _believed_ them when
they told me over and over, "Don't
worry, son. None of this is real.
Real life doesn't start until you hit
the Pearly Gates," well, I'm certain
I'd be looking for an even faster way
to get beyond than just waiting around
for old age to set in. It's more than just
the priests and their obfuscations of
the Truth, I know. It has more to do
with the unbelievable depths of our
gluttony. Most of us manage to keep
passing the days by ignoring the facts
of the havoc our insatiable appetites
are wrecking. As with the everyday
biological action of autolysis, it appears
we've begun to consume ourselves.
This is already panning out to be
the most fantastic cleanse ever.

(2007)