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"It's a bit strange, honestly," he said of the reaction the poem has received. Many commented that his poignant words have offered them some consolation in the wake of yet more horror. Since posting the poem, Fitzpatrick's Facebook post has been shared over 250 times. I wanted to do something that felt empowering, to say that love is big and inextinguishable." The poet admits that like "many people I tend to feel helpless when there's any sort of tragedy or mass killing" but "because maybe this hit closer to home-this was an attack on the queer community-I found that I couldn't step away and feel like it was some big, exceptional thing that didn't touch me.
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Speaking to Newsweek on Monday, Fitzpatrick said: "I was just struck by how small and quotidien the act of two men kissing is, how many times I have participated in it, and the idea that something of such magnitude could begin with something so small." His moving words have been widely shared across the platform, resonating beyond his own friendship circle. Below, reprinted with permission, is the poem Fitzpatrick wrote and posted on Facebook on Sunday evening. The New York University lecturer spent much of the rest of the day writing, pouring his emotion into words. For Fitzpatrick, this was enough to stir within him the need to take action. He said his son had been perturbed months earlier after seeing two men kissing in Miami. Outpourings of grief, sorrow and support flooded social media, but ultimately, many, as they tend to do in these situations, felt helpless watching the rolling news coverage.Īs more details emerged about the attack, the perpetrator Omar Mateen's father denounced his actions. On Sunday morning, like most around the globe, poet Jameson Fitzpatrick woke up to the news of yet more senseless gun violence in America.Īs the day continued the massacre of 50 people at the gay nightclub Pulse in Orlando, Florida, would eventually be described as the worst mass shooting in U.S.