Bang! Pop!
Was that a gunshot?
Or was it a firecracker?
For a second, I thought
There was an attacker
Bang! Pop!
Was that a gunshot?
Or was it a car?
Maybe an engine sputtering
Loud noises from afar
Bang! Pop!
That must have been a shot!
No doubt in my mind
I hear the police sirens
The loud, noisy cries
Gunshots in Philly
Shootings in Colorado
Ghost guns in the city
Enclose us in shadows
Gunshots are everywhere
We can hardly avoid them
It’s no longer rare
To hear shots fire out
Like a bass drum
(Photo by David Levêque on Unsplash)
Author’s Note: There was a shooting in our Philly neighborhood of Mt. Airy recently, which inspired me to write this poem. Our neighborhood is pretty safe, so the shooting was surprising. In a way, though, it wasn’t surprising. Shootings can happen anywhere in America nowadays, it seems. According to the city of Philadelphia, there have been 785 nonfatal and 224 fatal gun shooting victims in Philly this year (as of Jun 21, 2021).
yes mt.airy is fairly safe, comparatively but germantown is close by and lots happens there sadly, and guns are so out of control right now everwhere! when i was young, we had a shootout in our backyard and this was in roslyn…and same happened when i lived in west philly.
Indeed! It’s really sad. Like you said, it’s not just an urban problem. Shootings are happening everywhere right now, it seems.
It’s sad how shooting has become so rampant. Like a new norm. ☹️
It really is. I don’t think much will change either 😞