Weapon of Choice

Don’t you find it confusing,

That what was once a cooking utensil,

Sometimes a utility tool,

Is now a lethal weapon?

A weapon of choice for young men,

Wanting to intimidate,

Inflict violence,

Cause pain.

Instead of using their voice box

To talk,

The blade now becomes

The voice of reason.

Instead of being shiny and beautiful,

Silver has become a colour

Connected to violence

And death.

Sometimes the cold sharp blade

Slashes or cuts,

Leaving the victim lucky

With just a permanent scar;

But there are the times

When it will slice through

A little deeper,

Penetrate an artery or puncture an organ,

Leaving the victim not only with a scar

But a time of death.

Because with that weapon in their hand

They feel big,

They feel strong,

They’ve got power pumping through their veins;

Without realising that blade

Isn’t a part of them,

That they alone

Will have to deal with the punishment,

The consequences,

The hurt faces of family and friends,

But that knife they held

In the palm in their hands

Will still be completely free.