if to breathe is to live

then all those on ventilators are dead

if life is my heartbeat

then who are those on pacemakers

And if it is brain activity

then what about those rendered braindead

only to make miraculous recoveries

so who am I to define the life that is worth living

why is it I am given power to determine who gets that chance

the opportunity to live has been snatched and placed in my hands

how funny, to live in a time where the only argument for why our children can be ripped apart, disected like frogs, and dissolved like sugar is the question of if they are alive or not.

As though we can determine life, play God

As if potential isn't enough to exist

I suppose, in a way it's not

because it will never happen. That potential will never be achieved.

That future is now dead, it has been crushed like their skulls.

I suppose to some people that dead potential is a relief.

But to me, it's a tradgedy.