A car that’s not that far away,
It’s just another sunny day,
Music in both ears and a spring in step
A walk that’s made with happy pep
Smile bright,
Step light,
No threat in sight,
No thought of flight,
A headline here,
A story there,
Reports made in fear,
Now we beware
A car that feels so far away,
Headlines, protests, every campaign,
The story of a friend made prey,
Of daily walks that end in pain
Smile bright turned smile tight,
Oh so polite,
Bodies close, feeling small,
Til even thin smile isn’t there at all
One state’s risks we learn and know,
From numbers in past years gone by,
Of one hundred thousand hopes to grow,
Three hundred voices will yearly cry
Look left, look right,
Ears free of any distraction,
Metal keys gripped tight,
Can we call it overreaction?
Attempts made, attacks started,
hear the news, gone cold-hearted
Smiles bright, still under twenty-five,
Tomorrow’s report has now gone live,
Cases in the news today,
Yesterday, yesteryear,
Three hundred yearly truths laid bare,
These next truths could be anywhere
Growing pressure on our smallest choices,
A question asked by many voices,
An experience on the weekly radar,
“Do you know what it feels like to hurry in the dark to your car?”
Smile bright a year before,
Smiling tight forever more,
Keys in hand and music off,
Headlines made that music stop
Written and Photographed by Olivia Walters
