Ignorance

We read news stories so diligently.
We tell ourselves we're keeping up with current events and smile
       believing we're keeping ourselves from ignorance.
We read news stories, and shake our heads and slightly frown, at the
        little boy that drowned or the woman who was raped while everybody watched.
We read news stories, and say robotically, "how sad" and turn the page and drink our coffee,
         and don't think of it again through our slightly less ignorant day.
We read news stories, but we read them like works of fiction, we look for action,we look for suspense,
         we're drawn to human horrors like moths to a match, and the fire reflecting in our eyes excites us,
         while we mutter "how sad".
We read news stories, we skip through the classifieds and sports to the obituaries, longing for one to relate to us
          a  cause of death and when they are only filled with anecdotes and love, we turn the page once more in
          search of missing children and serial killers, natural disasters and executions.
We read news stories, because the human race craves tragedy.
We read news stories, because we're frightened of the very tragedy we skim the pages for, frightened that
           if we don't read on then our ignorance will catch up to us and soon we will be the next headline.
We read news stories because it's so much more simple than actually doing something to prevent the very things
            we long to read.