Virginia Tech

my heart weeps for all 33 people
coldly and cruelly
gunned down in their prime…

I am shocked by the abhorrent visages
and repulsed by the media coverage

again and again
I sink to my knees in horror
at the loss

and I weep

Yet I rise again
in pride and admiration
for those brave heroes
that died in an effort to aid those
in their care

I am bereft, forlorn, inconsolable
and afraid

I’ve been reading
and listen
with incredulity
and stunned silence….
I need to know
to understand…

what kind of bankrupt morality allows for
the fact that people knew
that the young gun wielder
had “issues”
that his writing
“scared” his professors
and that they “feared” him
or that his art was “dark”

yet they did nothing?
what has happened to humanity…

that they would not take action
when they knew something was so very wrong?

why would they wait
for someone else to do something?

why would they not get involved
to avoid just this kind of travesty?

why has humanity become reactive
and not proactive?

are we as human beings
so completely afraid of the repercussions
that we no longer will step into the fray?

are we as human beings
so terribly concerned about our possessions
that we fear to lose them
by getting involved?

I don’t want to hear that Rosie O’Donnell
is having a “bad time” dealing with this
she should

I don’t need to know that Kelly Ripa
is “feeling bad”
she should

I don’t give a shit what “Hollywood” thinks or feels
humanity should take stock…

and I sure as hell
don’t need to watch over and over the
protestations of his last year’s English prof
that she tried to “talk” to him or about

Liar!
I call
Liar!
and SHAME!
Shame!
Shame!
try harder damn it!
Had they tried harder
this could have been avoided
and 33 people would still be breathing…
alive…
to go on to greatness…
to love…
to have children…
to bounce their grandchildren on their knees…
and to help others…

I can not compare this wickedness
and horror at Virginia Tech
to Columbine
nor the World Trade Center
nor the Middle East

Each and every one
of these abominations
and tragedies
are burnt forever
into my brain

for
I fear what humanity
is becoming

I fear for our humanity
I fear our lack thereof.
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Actual letter sent to product supplier…

courtesy of Bee_Wise – names have been changed to protect the innocent :o)

Dear Mr. XXXXXXXX,

I have been a loyal user of your Always maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the Leak Guard Core(tm) or Dri-Weave(tm) absorbency, I’d probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I’d certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favourite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can’t tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there’s a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. XXXXXXXX? Ever suffered from “the curse”? I’m guessing you haven’t. Well, my “time of the month” is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I’ll be transformed into what my husband likes to call “an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.”

Isn’t the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-hygiene Division, you’ve no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customers’ monthly visits from “Aunt Flo”. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behaviour. You surely realize it’s a tough time for most women.

In fact, only last week, my friend Jennifer fought the violent urge to shove her boyfriend’s testicles into a George Foreman Grill just because he told her he thought Grey’s Anatomy was written by drunken chimps. Crazy! The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants… which brings me to the reason for my letter.

Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words:

“Have a Happy Period.” Are you fucking kidding me?

What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness – actual smiling, laughing happiness is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you’re some kind of sick S&M freak girl, there will never be anything “happy” about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don’t march down to the local Walgreen’s armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory. For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you just have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn’t it make more sense to say something that’s actually pertinent, like “Put Down the Hammer” or “Vehicular Manslaughter Is Wrong”, or are you just picking on us?

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And although I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit.

And that’s a promise I will keep…

Always.

Best, XXXXX XXXXX
Austin, TX

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