I Don’t Miss the Guns

Twenty three years since I move away from America

I miss a lot of things

I miss hot summers that go on for months

I miss all day breakfasts that start late and go later

I miss the open road with the stereo on, the windows down and the sun in my eyes

I don’t miss the guns

I missed Portland becoming a world leader in music, beer and food

I missed countless birthdays and other milestones with American friends and family

I even missed the Cubs and the Red Sox both winning the Series

I haven’t missed the guns

I’m sad that I’ve missed a few things

I’ve missed the first black President being elected

I’ve missed the first woman being elected Vice President

I’ve missed gay marriage being legalised in all fifty states

I haven’t missed the guns

But I’m also thankful I’ve missed a lot of things

I’ve missed two contested elections that have torn the country in opposite directions

I’ve missed having to shout that Black Lives Matter because to many the still don’t

I’ve missed the politicalisation of a global health emergency that has torn families apart.

And I’ve missed having to see first hand the kind of carnage that happens there and nowhere else in the world

Twenty three years away and I am thankful

I am thankful I don’t have to worry everyday that my kids may be shot at their school

I am thankful I don’t have to worry everyday that wife many be shot in hers

I am thankful I don’t have to worry everyday that I may be shot in mine

But even here in Ireland, thousands of miles and twenty three years away

I miss all of those people whose lives those guns have taken away

I miss their innocence

I miss their potential

I grieve their loss

And I still don’t miss the guns