Columbine

Posted Columbine Crisis Discussion Group, April 26, 1999
     "We are Columbine."

     For the past three mornings I've woke up in the wee hours, turned the computer on, connect with the internet, go to the Columbine Discussion group and read. Hundreds of postings, thousands of emails. I read, I think, I ponder the meaning of it all. It draws me into its own world.

     "We are Columbine."

     There's not really much of anything I can add to what's already been said, thousands of times over: condolences, sympathy, blessings, prays, thoughts. Yes, I do offer those to you as well.

     "We are Columbine."

     Drawn into your world... how can I even possibly feel that? There was one phrase, your principal said it, one of them five second sound bites, something about one of the first meetings with the students after the tragedy, a traditional acknowledgment of the principal.

     "We are Columbine."

     It's what I feel, I sense from thousands (or is it millions) of others around the world. It's only partly true, we can never know the real experience, at best we can only stand behind you or beside you in spirit.

     "We are Columbine."

     I started to look up the other such tragedies, to connect them together in words. But the list and school names would be incomplete and I'm not sure they're all quite the same.

     "We are Columbine."

     Oakland Elementary, Greenwood South Carolina, 1988, "We are Oakland"; Durblane Scotland, March 1996, "We are Durblane"; Pearl Mississippi, October 1997, "We are Pearl"; West Paducah Kentucky, December 1997, "We are West Paducah"; Jonesboro Arkansas, March 1998, "We are Jonesboro"; Edinboro Pennsylvania, April 1998, "We are Edinboro"; Thurston High School, May 1998, "We are Thurston"; Springfield Oregan, May 1998, "We are Springfield."

     "We are Columbine."

     I want to write some profound thought, put together some string of words to make the pain go away, something that will put an end to such tragedies. But they wont come forth, they've become lost in a phrase.

     "We are Columbine." "We are Columbine." "We are Columbine." "We are Columbine." "We are Columbine." "We are Columbine."