(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
When I am shot,
Please do not feel sorry for me,
Do not pray for me,
Or keep me in your thoughts.
When I am shot,
It will likely be an act of random violence,
A chance encounter with one bullet,
Perhaps a few more.
When I am shot,
I may die instantly,
Or bleed to death,
Lying on the ground.
Alternatively, I could just be maimed,
Like so many gunshot victims,
Living a handicapped life,
Once the news cycle turns.
I will be shot,
Someone will be, for sure,
Later today, tomorrow, you can never choose,
It just happens a lot.
Oh, America, my beloved,
The land of the free,
Apple pie and baseball,
Sky-high dreams,
And the AR-15
Here, oh great nation,
Life of liberty and happiness,
Is contingent on,
The freedom to possess,
Weapons of war.
So, friends and compatriots,
When I or you are shot,
Do not cry, do not despair,
It will be for a great cause,
The freedom to be murdered.