Six weeks. That’s how long it’s been since the Pulse shootings killed 49 (fifty if you include the shooter himself). A lot has been published and continues to be published, a lot of second guessing is now taking place. All the police and media have left. That means Orange Avenue passing by Pulse is open again. All the impromptu memorials around the area have been cleaned up. Good thing I photographed the important parts when I did.

Pulse is still closed, surrounded by a chain link fence. Memorial flowers and DIY signage are all over the fence facing Orange. There are still people coming by to stand and look, some paying their respects, some just silently standing there. It’s eerily quiet, devoid of conversation, just the sound of passing traffic.

I didn’t lose anything there, I didn’t know anyone who was killed in that place. But the event has left me unalterably changed. There was absolutely no reason for what happened in Orlando, just like there’s no reason for the continuing media and political circus. As bad as I might feel, it has to pale to insignificance what the survivors and those left behind have to be feeling right now.