Fourteen Candles

He walks into the classroom, 

brandishing his gun. 

His shouts echo around the room 

ordering the men and women to separate, 

punctuated by the gunshots he fires.

Fear and tension starts to thicken 

in the air. 

He shouts at the women, 

saying he hates them, 

hates their kind. 

All hell broke loose.

Gunshots are heard throughout the school.

The man believed his actions 

were just. 

By the end of the day, there were 15 dead.

14 women 

and the man. 

----------------------------------

The girls light their candles, 

their fourteen candles, 

shining light upon the white ribbons. 

They gently blow the flame out

just as the women's hopes, 

dreams 

and lives had disappeared.

Today is the 22nd anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique massacre that happened in Quebec. A 25 year old man walked into the engineering school and started systematically murdering women, and then commits suicide. If you'd like some more history on this tragedy, here's the link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/École_Polytechnique_massacre

Because of this violent and awful incident, December 6th is National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women day. 

Please take a moment to remember those women who have suffered or died because of female-targeted violence. And all you guys out there, please take the pledge to never be violent towards women and to never stay silent about it if you know. Thank you.