THE LIGHT

A light went out today
Dazzling brilliance cut off without warning
Golden ray of sunshine fades into the horizon
Rainbow hues colored over by the black of mourning

A light went out today
Senseless, tragic - can anyone explain just why?
Innocence shattered, a smile dissolved in teardrops
Echoed in the age-old cry of outrage: MUCH TOO YOUNG TO DIE

A light went out today
Turned into the "top story" on the news of the day
Headlines relay grief in black and white
They can never grasp the enormity of what was taken away

A light went out today
A beautiful song ended in mid-tune
A sandcastle wiped away by an unexpected wave
A dark night caressed no longer by the light of the moon

A light went out today
Yet in the midst of anger and tearful pain
Reach back to touch the memory of an innocent smile
And feel the warmth of the light that somewhere still remains.

by C. D., Warwick, RI

This poem is dedicated to the memory of Jason Robinson, who was murdered in his Massachusetts high school classroom April 12, 1993.
I never knew him, but the tragedy of his death awakened me and,
I believe, many other teenagers to the horrible senselessness of school violence.