I see clouds of smoke from my window
In my three story townhouse on the outskirts of a city in mourning
I can see the fire from here
I can hear the crying from here
I can smell the fear and anger from here
I worry the flames are getting brighter
And the crowds are chanting louder
It’s getting closer
The view is getting blurry
I fear that the tears from my eyes won’t be enough to extinguish the pain that has been caused
I fear the love I have for my city won’t be grand enough to shield us from the world
My fears are met with disdain
From the window I can hear the shouting
I can see the headlines already
“Baltimore on Fire”
And why would they be surprised?
We are the “rat-infested and uneducated” that keeps Maryland democratically blue
We are the butt end of the joke
We are the ignored and dismissed
We are mourning right now
And I fear that our cries won’t be loud enough to reach a nation
– From the eyes of a 12-year-old
Shelby Lewis is a fourth-year English major with a minor in journalism. SL956954@wcupa.edu.