By Candice M. Kelsey
Monday at 10:15 am
Mindy, the Chief Operating Officer,
Ordered an Active Shooter
Drill. All teachers and students
Were reminded how to lockdown
The classrooms, the proper
Protocol of Run, Hide, and Fight.
The loudspeaker sang,
This is a drill, this is a drill, please
Lockdown, there is an active
Shooter on campus. And one girl,
A sophomore in the third row
Of room 113 who has a C-,
Rolled her eyes, shouting for all
To hear: Could this day get any worse?
Candice M. Kelsey [she/her] is a poet, essayist, and educator living in both Los Angeles and Georgia. A finalist for a Best Microfiction 2023, she is the author of seven books; her latest chapbook POSTCARDS from the MASTHEAD has just been released with boats against the current. She mentors an incarcerated writer through PEN America and reads for The Los Angeles Review. Please find her at https://www.candicemkelseypoet.com/.
