Everyone says we’re too young

To truly understand what’s going on

To grasp the gravity of it

But we get updates every second of the day

A conversation

A text

A tweet

A video

Scrolling through TikTok

Being bombarded with images

Switching from pets to war

In under a second

Seeing someone’s million dollar home in one instant

And the destruction of someone’s life in another

From pristine white walls in perfect condition

To families crying as they have to leave each other

Clouds of gray and rubble in empty streets

Then continuing with the day

Pushing images of death away

To try make room for new math formulas

And just as I attempt to distract myself

Just for a moment 

A buzz of my phone pulls me away

Showing new articles

With new conflicts

With new devastating information

To be talked about at home around the dinner table

Which is sure to spark a heated and loud debate

Anger and misinformation adding to the roaring fire

That consumes us all

Sparing no one in its brutal aggression

Giving us burns that will never heal

A fire whose light may flicker

May dim over weeks, months, and years

But will never truly go out