As Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Reopens, One Student's Poem Goes Viral
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School opened for the first time today since the tragic February 14 shooting that left 17 people dead. As students returned to their classes, 15-year-old Samantha Deitsch expressed the trauma and grief many survivors are grappling with by writing a poem called, “MSD shooting poem: My experience." The poem went viral after her brother shared it on social media today, garnering almost 6,000 retweets and serving as a reminder to support the Marjory Stoneman Douglas community on an emotional day.
"My sister turned 15 the day of the shooting," her brother Matt wrote, “She has had a hard time finding her voice in all of this and asked me to share this poem with you. On the night before my sister returns to MSD, it would mean a lot if you could read her poem.”
In the poem, Deitsch describes February 14, which is also her birthday, and remembers hearing fire alarms and seeing students running through the halls in panic. She hid in a closet as her worried mother texted her. Once she got home, she turned on the news to discover one of her close friends, Jaime Guttenberg, had died.
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"Thanks to a lack of help for a clear mental illness and an AR-15 / When I go back to class Jaime will not be seen / I saw her the morning of the shooting / Not knowing this friend I would be losing," Deitsch writes.
Her poem is also a clear call to action on gun control, which she and her classmates have been fighting for since the day of the shooting. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students have taken politicians to task as they've demanded change. They've called out Donald Trump for his inaction and have planned a nationwide protest that will take place in Washington on March 24. Senior Emma Gonzalez also made headlines when she delivered an impassioned speech at a gun control rally in Fort Lauderdale, popularizing a rallying cry of calling "B.S." on lawmakers.
Deitsch now adds her voice through her intimate writing: "Yes, indeed I turned fifteen this day / Goodbye is something to my classmates I never got to say / I lost too many friends thanks to Nikolas Cruz / Until gun policy changes how many more do I have to lose?"
The poem also sheds light into how Deitsch is dealing with the tragedy. She writes that she got a puppy to cope, and named her Misty, a play on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas acronym MSD.
Reports paint a heavy and emotional portrait of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School today. Grief counselors and comfort dogs were on campus to help students slowly reacclimatize to their schedules, but there were also about 50 armed police officers on the scene to ensure the safety of the 3,000-person student body. Friends and supporters came to the schools with signs that said things like "We stand with you."
