Is This Really Supposed to be Sanctuary?
I finished writing this poem after a taking a break from writing a while back and coincidentally I’m posting it once again after taking a break again, not necessarily from writing but instead from social media. This is a poem that when I first posted I said the tags explained it best, partially because I was still shaken by what had happened as described in the poem(yes this really happened to me). That said I will just giving that this is a heavy one and continue to let this poem and these tags speak for themselves as they had before. Originally posted this in August 2022.
Is This Really Supposed to be Sanctuary?
By: A.X. Bueno
This city is supposed to be one of the greatest in the world
It’s been called a sanctuary state
And while I love it a lot what does that say about the state of things
As it feels like an epicenter for a world that feels like it’s slowly coming apart more each day
It feels like there’s a need to be more vigilant and on edge
And I don’t think that feeling is going away with violence seeming to be on the upswing
Then there’s also being the hotbed of several pandemics to make thing worse and more on edge
It’s hard to know what to do when you’re not sure how to make yourself feel safe anymore
Outdoors and typical public spaces can get bad and have you staying on guard
The trains and buses are where things feel like they’ve gotten especially worse
When there’s an active shooter threat that empties out half the train as many flee in expected fear
While others stay and nervously watch and wait
Wondering if they’ll actually be leaving the station
The shooter is chased off though with no casualties to be had
And in five minutes the train starts moving again as many are left to just continue on with their days
Having to accept this scary delay as just a part of their morning routine as they continue on their way
To work, to home or to wherever they were going and hope that there it’s a little less hectic, safer
I’m sure if you asked any of them they’d tell you more stories of terrible things
That happened on the train that they brushed off just like this
Like I said there’s an upswing in violence and fear that feels like it’s becoming the norm
On top of many other problems here and yet I can think of a dozen other places that might be worse
After all other places deal with plenty of the problems your city does and usually less than well
Which is surprising given how you can’t remember much of the leadership here being liked
But I guess that’s just another sign of how much things have gone to hell
So you’ll stick to this “sanctuary city” trying to just survive knowing there’s few places less bad
And continue to navigate a world that seems to be driving more and more people mad