I wish I hadn’t been inspired to write this poem. I wish it hadn’t been relevant enough to take home first place in the Shirley Elliot Cosby Memorial Award at the Poetry Society of Texas annual banquet last year. I wish I didn’t feel the need to share it with you. I wish “back to school” season caused only feelings of excitement and happy butterflies in the hearts of all of my teacher friends.
I wish every student and teacher and school employee everywhere a safe and happy 2024-2025 school year.
Did I Miss Anything?
Columbine happened in 1999.
Those students would be in their forties now.
Moms, dads, spouses, business owners, teachers,
artists, doctors, Uber drivers, the people who feed
the stray cats in their neighborhood,
the ones who laugh too loud in movies,
the neighbors who always pick up their dogs’ poop,
and the ones who don’t.
Sandy Hook happened in 2012.
Those children would be teenagers now.
Learning to drive, taking the SAT,
buying dresses for dances, playing the trumpet,
sneaking a beer, dying their hair,
thinking about college, falling in love,
making bad choices,
and good ones.
Uvalde happened two months ago.
Those kids would be on summer vacation now.
Eating cereal for breakfast, playing video games,
taking trips to the library and the beach,
fighting with their siblings,
annoying their parents,
growing out of last year’s new clothes,
and complaining that the summer is too short.
When students are absent,
they come back to school and say,
“Did I miss anything?”
as if the world stops when they’re gone,
as if no one could possibly learn anything
if they’re not present.
These victims of gun violence have missed so much.
But the world has not stopped, and no one
has learned anything.
© Carie Juettner
* written in July 2022
* first published in the 2024 A Book of the Year
Carie Juettner 
Wow. Very powerful.