Amidst the pain and sorrow
Through clouds of clearing smoke
We face the realization
This can not be a joke

Our greatest fear turns present
And all that we hold dear
Is now caught in the chaos
As we confront our fear

The emptiness consumes us
As sadness takes it hold
Leaving us in darkness
With feelings that are cold

It’s there we shall not wallow
As we seek again the light
Ever looking for the good
To free us from the night

About The Poem – Look For The Good

There’s usually a story behind every poem I write.  Some I share, others I just leave to the imagination.  Look For the Good just jumped out at me while I was driving.  It’s been a few days since the latest schools shooting in Florida.  While the debate rages about guns and mental illness and who to blame, some other students decided to do something a bit more uplifting.  I was driving by a local school the other day and the athletic fence was decorated with red solo cups spelling out “Look for the Good”.  I just filled in the rest of the words when I got home.

We need to remind ourselves when these things happen that there still is good in the world.  There’s definitely a problem to be fixed, but we don’t want to get sucked into the darkness of events like this.  Sadly these types of events often breed more hate and violence.  This is an opportunity for us to move forward intelligently if we can take political interests out of the equation.

My Experience

I’ve personally dealt with the aftermath of when a gun and mental illness collide.  We have this stereotypical image of these odd loners with semi-automatic weapons.   In a weird way it’s comforting because most people will look at them and they can’t see themselves.  It gives us distance from the problem.   Unfortunately, these are the exception and not the rule.  More often it is a seemingly happy well adjusted person who normally takes medication for a variety of behavior and thought disorders.  As long as they take their medication, the rest of the world generally doesn’t know there are any issues.  For whatever reason, sometimes people stop taking their meds and their world collapses around them.

Things have improved somewhat in the past 30 years, but at the time I had my experience, getting a gun was even easier than it is now.  Even today an honor student with no criminal history wouldn’t be questioned about anti-psychotic medications they might be taking.  In the course of a week I watched a happy, bright and artistic college student reduced to a giant red stain on my carpet.  I had no idea there was a problem.

Thoughts

I’m not really a gun enthusiast, but I enjoy target shooting, and I don’t think people should be prevented from getting guns.  (Just my opinion, not interested in debating the issue)  I do think that following the same standards as operating a car makes sense.

  • Minimum age
  • Education
  • User test
  • License
  • Insurance
  • Registration

I don’t know that it would fix all problems associated with guns, but I know one person that would probably still be alive today if they had to go through a few more checks.

Inspirational Poetry Books

Here are some of the books that are available from Robert Longley. I would recommend the Sacred Poem journals. Reading my earlier books (especially the ones for Military, Police and Firefighter’s families) cover to cover can be overwhelming. The poetry journals are designed to give you one poem per day while you journal about what might be going on in your life. There are specific journals for grief, success, and more.
Get inspirational poetry books by Robert Longley Here.

Inspirational Poetry Products

While I do signed poetry prints that are 11×14, that isn’t the size or product that all people want. Some just want a sympathy card, others may want a large canvas print, or maybe a coffee cup. There are limits to what I can customize with the options available so some products just don’t work. Please just ignore them, I know that that format doesn’t work. If you are looking for something specific, or would like to make something specific just let me know. I’m open to just about anything.
Get inspirational poetry products by Robert Longley here.