by Rémy Dambron
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| Video footage (via The Texas Tribune) recorded inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde at 12:04 p.m. May 24. Authorities stormed the classroom at 12:50 p.m. |
this picture
evidence we all see
now for the first time
released
officers’ long guns drawn
from behind ballistic shields
formed up for an advance
but shockingly at a halt
at least five men
sworn trained and well-armed
against the one
*murderer of children still
the photo’s caption
stating the time scene was
captured
12:04pm
just underneath
another detail displayed
authorities storm the classroom
12:50pm
forty-six minutes
they stood by to witness
as calls for help simply went
(unanswered)
as parents right outside
against their wishes
hands tied
by more armed men who just waited
for forty-six minutes
they wouldn’t act, only witness
another sickening school shooting
ensue
Rémy Dambron is a former English teacher now Portland-based poet whose writing focuses on denouncing political corruption and advocating for social/environmental justice. With the help of his chief editor and loving wife, his works have appeared in What Rough Beast, Poets Reading the News, Writers Resist, Words & Whispers, Spillwords, Robot Butt, and The New Verse News.