Tragically Mistaken Poem by Mary Nagy

You say
you want to know
about their pain.
You say
you wish you had
some warning.
You feel bad
that you didn't
have a sign.
Do you?

If they cry for help
before they have done
the destruction...
do you wipe their tears
or do you laugh at them
and say they are just
seeking attention?

Warning signs?
They're all around us.
Do we really
want to see them
or do we just want
to say we wish
we would've seen them.

It's easy
to say we would've
done something.
It's much harder
to actually do something.

Are you
a silent observer
or are you
an active listener?

If you think
it doesn't matter...
you're tragically mistaken.