This poem is now a song. Listen here.
🎵 Watch the Song“Are You Okay” is a current events poem by David Ritter written in memory of Alex Pretti. I did not know him personally, but the video and what followed shook me deeply. This poem is not meant to spark debate. It is shared to mourn a life lost and to call for compassion, truth, and basic humanity.
Are You Okay
“Are you okay,” I heard him say,
As he tried to block the pepper spray.
A camera clenched in shaking hand,
Still reaching out to help her stand.
An ICU nurse, a healer by trade,
Lifting the fallen, unafraid.
No fists were raised, no threat was shown,
Just human kindness, standing alone.
A man staying calm, with hands in sight,
Met by cowards drunk on might.
Six against one, a swarm attack,
They shot Alex in the back.
What cuts deepest, as I scroll and stare,
Is how some cheer like they don’t care.
They bend the law, distort the blame,
And dress up murder in duty’s name.
They twist the facts, then watch it spread,
Like cold applause around the dead.
Gaslit minds and hardened lies
Dare us to doubt our own clear eyes.
Now vigils glow in city streets,
Where grief, resolve, and conscience meet.
If this is “right,” then hear me pray:
God please help us… we’re not okay.
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