Lockdown Drill

I'm sitting in the classroom at school
It's not the first time that I'm unsure
There are 20 quiet kindergarteners
Waiting for a sign that danger is over
Their eyes search around the room
The lights are all off and we're surrounded by gloom
The teacher presses ear to door
She knows that she's not supposed to be so close

I signed up to help the kids with their art
I signed up to help with finger-paints and tying up smocks
I signed up to help my son feel supported
I signed up to make sure someone tells each kid they're smart
But I never would have signed up for this
It's something that I always could have missed
They didn't have this back when I was a kid
And this feels like the wrong way to live

I sat through a lockdown drill
At the elementary school
I was with the kindergarten class
When we heard those sirens blast
I sat through a lockdown drill
With the students of room one-two-oh
We told ourselves it was just a drill
But in fact we really didn't know

We turned out the lights
Teacher turned the bolt into the doorframe
We whispered out each kid's name
As they huddled near the cubbies, oh
We pulled down the blinds
And we locked shut the windows
And we took down the fishbowl
And we put it in the cupboard

I was surprised
I expected much more sobbing
But the kids just sat their nodding
They had done this before
Then the all-clear came
It was apparent to me
As we put the classroom back together
That the terrorists in politics had already won

I sat through a lockdown drill
At the elementary school
I was with the kindergarten class
When we heard those sirens blast
I sat through a lockdown drill
With the students of room one-two-oh
We told ourselves it was just a drill
But in fact we really didn't know