Raised in a News Household
**check tags
I never had that delusion
That the world was ok and adult were infallible
Or even trustworthy
I was innocent once
Although not that I remember
Of course innocence is subjective
I am glad
Even if I grew up faster, I grew up better
I had unique insights and perspectives on things when I was only 11
Iām very interesting to talk to
If you can keep up
The one thing I wish they had just turned off
Was that school shooting
I was seven years old.
And when youāre that young
The lines between what youāve seen and experienced are pretty blurred
Leah talks about seeing Coraline at that age and being so scared
I heard the audio of highschoolers being murdered at school
In the mornings
Before going to second grade
I still flinch at sudden noises and movements
But itās better than it was when
I would shake
I was terrified
I thought they would get me
Whenever I was out in the hall
In the bathroom breathing
I knew about other mass shooting too
At the malls
At grocery stores
Everywhere.
Every person Iād see
Was a potential shooter
A threat
Iād flinch and be on edge all the time, constantly for years.
And my brother made fun of me for it
Mom got annoyed and thought it was silly
I was seven years old
And there was no longer a monster under my bed
But a man with a gun
Always a man with a gun.
