i wish

i wish i could tell them that not all police officers are out to kill, most put on their badge and kiss their children and wives/husbands goodbye and pray they don't get shot while fighting for the justice they seek. they went to police academy as young men and/or women seeking fairness in a world of evil. 

i wish i could tell these men that hide behind their badges that they're human too. just because they have a gun does not mean they are any more powerful. 

i wish i could tell all of them the minute you pull the trigger you are taking a child, a parent, a friend away.  

i wish i could tell them that, 

but no one wants to listen to a silly teenager who doesn't understand what loss feels like. 

•••

they see this badge and they are supposed to believe they are safe. 

they see this badge and they are supposed to believe they are taken care of. 

they see this badge and their eyes widen in fear. 

they see this badge and they pray to god this isn't the end of their story. 

they see this badge and they watch the blood trickle from their body. 

they see this badge and they think about the face, 

but they don't see a face. 

all they see is a badge. 

one that was supposed to protect them.