'Shooter! Active! All must hide
In place!' Whispered shuffling.
Lights out. Doors barricaded.
Everyone huddles together.
'No one make a sound! No crying!'
Children, turning off their phones. Preparing,
Each a potential 'casualty'. (Thoughts and prayers.)
~~~
About the Creator
Judey Kalchik
It's my time to find and use my voice.
Poetry, short stories, memories, and a lot of things I think and wish I'd known a long time ago.
You can also find me on Medium
And please follow me on Threads, too!
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Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
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📢 Raise Your Voice Thread: 01/08/2026
Our “Raise Your Voice Threads” are hosted most alternating Thursdays at 12PM ET to offer creators more avenues to uncover exceptional stories on Vocal. As we are continuously searching for fresh creators and inspiring stories, this thread provides an opportunity to exchange and discuss the stories that have moved and motivated us on Vocal.
By Raise Your Voice by Vocal6 days ago in Resources
Comments (10)
Jk - Need to take a Drill-Pill. So hard to even face the reality of it all. We used to think it was a drag to single-file once a month for fire drill practice. Now it's drop for cover - a Shonda...! Jk
Literally my worst nightmare as a teacher...
I can’t even imagine. Absolute terror. A very sad but effective entry, Judey.
This is so so heartbreaking. I can't even comprehend the sadness of it. Well written Judy.
This is just plain scary. I am glad I went to school back in the 70's and early 80's there might have been some bad doings but not like today. One needs to say daily prayers to survive the blackboard jungle of today. Good work.
"Thoughts and prayers" got forever tainted by school shootings. Powerful, Judey.
After resent events this really hits home.
Oh, wow...Judey. This one gave me chills and fear and sadness. So much in only 7 lines. Well done.
oh my. that's powerful.
I'm always burdened by the innocent suffering of children. This is a powerful poem.