Soft pillow; I apologize in advance.Tonight my heavy heart will carry its weight on to you…in hopes of consolation.

Reaching for a hug from arms not made of metal that I am afraid to touch.

My city let loose and took off her bulletproof vest for the night, despite the warnings from sirens heard from blocks away.

Streets ripped from concrete as gunshots made their way on to the dancefloor, shoving through hundreds of prideful feet.

Cellphones and music competed with the loud boom bap of the bullets finding homes in bodies of innocent men and women.

They tell me I should be used to this; they say bullets and gunshots should be of no surprise to me because I’m not from “here,”

But that doesn’t make it easier to deal with.

I can’t help but think of all the cellphones hidden in back pockets and purses of lifeless bodies….