Trigger Warnings: Suicide, discussion of genocide, and other heavy topics

This is your wake up call, don't hit the snooze button
You've been sleeping in lately, and we're here to discuss that
It may not be what you want to hear, but you're strong enough to listen
This isn't about tearing you down, it's about building you up
So that you'll be brave enough to risk an act of love.

Her name was Seema
She was six years old
She lived in Gaza city
Her mother often went hungry to make sure she was fed
She was playing with her friends when an Israeli bomb landed on her house
She died without knowing what hit her
Her dream was to go to Antarctica

You saw a news piece about the rising death toll in Palestine
You shook your head, said that's so sad
Then you went to your friend's house and stayed up all night playing Super Smash Bros
The world kept turning.

His name was Rodrigo
He worked 80 hours a week at a Manila clothing factory to feed his 3 kids
He worked 11 hours straight, and fell asleep on the assembly line
He was crushed by the machinery
He never finished writing his romance novel

You read an article about the working conditions in sweatshops
You shook your head, said that's so sad
Then you kept scrolling through your feed, and smiled at a cute video of a dog playing with a garden hose
The world kept turning.

Her name was Stella
She was 14 when she realized she was transgender
When she came out to her dad, he disowned her
Her mom helped her get estrogen
When she read that the state wouldn't let her have hormones anymore, she took an entire bottle of Benadryl
Her mother found her body in the morning
She loved to pet the stray cats in the school parking lot

You read a news article saying trans suicides are on the rise
You shook your head, said that's so sad
Then you turned on Breaking Bad and ate a whole bag of barbecue chips
The world kept turning.

His name was Damarcus
You saw him begging for money on a street corner
You had $8 in your wallet, but you pretended not to see him
You told yourself he'd probably spend it on drugs
The light turned green, and you sped away
He died of exposure that night
He was fascinated by airplanes
His childhood dream was to be a pilot

You spent the $8 on a movie ticket
You walked out halfway through because it was too predictable
The next day, you passed by the same street corner
You didn't notice that it was empty
The world kept turning.

His name was Unum
He was born in a cage in a poultry processing plant
He didn't have enough room to spread his wings, and his talons ached from standing on the wire of his cage
He was six weeks old when he was murdered
His only joy was talking to his companions in the other cages

The annoying vegan at work showed you video footage from a slaughterhouse
You looked away and said you didn't want to see it
You had Popeye's for dinner that night
The image of chickens being beheaded flashed across your mind
You shoved it down and placed your order
Unum's left leg was part of your 4 piece combo
He died never having seen the sun
The world kept turning.

This isn't about tearing you down, it's about building you up
So that you'll be brave enough to risk an act of love
If you were in their shoes, you would want someone to stand up for you
So you wouldn't have to stand alone
You can still have your video games, you can still have your Nexflix
and you can do something to help out the less fortunate.
The best time was yesterday, but the second best time is today.

If you can be better, then you should be better
If you should be better, then you must be better
And if you must be better, then what's stopping you!?
I'm not begging, I'm demanding
Be the change you want to see
The true evil of this world isn't hatred, it's apathy
It's not just the Donald Trumps or the Adolf Hitlers, it's also the ordinary people who never tried to stop them
The ones who just wanted to live their lives
In other words, it's you

Don't let these words be in vain
Don't turn a blind eye to the pain

This is your wake up call. Don't hit the snooze button.