In the land of liberty, where freedom we hold dear
We need to build a society where our children live without fear
Gun violence permeates our streets
A haunting rhythm the nation greets
School hallways echo with footsteps of despair
Where innocence collides with a total nightmare
In the silence meant for pencils and books
A tragedy unfolds, stealing youthful looks
The Second Amendment misinterpreted through the years
While the harrowing cries of victims fall on deaf ears a
The right to bear arms vs. the lives of our youth
A debate where profit is valued over life and truth
In classrooms where laughter should prevail
become slaughterhouses, as gunshots assail
Children, once carefree, now gripped by fright
In the midst of what should be a haven of light
Sandy Hook, Parkland, Columbine, Virginia Tech
bear witness to the toll of guns, a nation’s wreck
These events, both so pervasive and horrific
A public health emergency, as disturbing as prolific
In urban streets and rural towns
Gun violence wears a relentless crown
Each number, more than a mere statistic you read
A life cut short by politics, power and greed
Let statistics not just be numbers in cold ink
But stories of lives lost, forcing us to think
So on the frontline of this raging war
The white coats unhappily know the score
They see the wounds that weapons bring
And in their voices, compassion sings
In the darkness, physicians unite with a solemn plea
Advocates for change, a safer world there must be
Their healing hands can mend more than a bullet hole
As they tend to both the body and the soul
But is this principle of the right to bear arms
Really worth the price of such massive harm?
In the hallowed halls where decisions are at play
Physicians must advocate for a brighter day
They pen their words, a prescription for peace
A call to action that will never cease
Yet, the struggle persists, a battle yet to be won
For every life lost, for every daughter and son
Physicians stand as guardians of the Hippocratic oath
To heal the nation, to ensure its healthy growth
Through the legislative maze, they must stand up and fight
That reason should triumph over the lies of political blight
A call for gun control, a plea for laws being changed
A chance for our future that’s safe and not deranged
With stethoscopes and scalpels, they must take the stand
To advocate for change in a wounded land
For in unity against this band, a hurting nation may find
A lasting peace that heals both heart and mind
Hannah Posner is an MS2 at the Perelman School of Medicine.
Art by Millie Huang, an MS1 at the Perelman School of Medicine.
