Writing: ‘Shots Fired’ by Eric Daniels
This piece placed third for middle school writing submissions in the Ánimo Voices Writing and Art Competition, which invited students to consider a change they’d like to see in their community or the world and to convince an audience, through any genre of writing or visual medium, of the importance of this change. The competition was an opportunity to motivate, recognize, and celebrate our strong student voices through writing and art.
By Eric Daniels
Ánimo Westside Charter Middle School
Shots Fired
We did not know we were going to die
Our parents never got to say goodbye
We were at school another day
When a school shooter came our way
He took our lives and ran away
We never saw the light of day
The bullet went straight through us
Then the media made a fuss
We never got to drive a car
We never got to raise the bar
We never got to buy a house
We never got to marry a spouse
We never got to go across the planet
All because he took our lives for granted
For we hope the shooter that day will pay
We didn't know we were going to die that day