poems about justice

One Less

How easy it would be
To build one less room
In one’s third mega-mansion,
Pass on one additional
Exotic car, schedule
One less lavish party for
Well-heeled friends where
The bill for the champagne
Alone is more than the
Salaries of the staff
Dutifully attending guests,
Go on one less extravagant
Vacation to Monaco,
In order to build a
World where everyone has
A chance to succeed.
No one needs a one-hundredth
Expensive pair of shoes or
Custom suit when other
Human beings struggle
To find their next meal.

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Death by a Thousand Cuts

Take an eager, hopeful
Middle class family that
Makes enough to pay the
Bills each month and start
Increasing the cost of
Everything they need to live.
Make sure to include
Things they really need
Like soap and toilet paper,
Milk, cereal, bread, cheese.
Keep downsizing everything
While raising prices,
Eventually they’ll notice
Their bank account shrinking,
Vacations not occurring,
Health care postponing,
Mortgage defaulting,
Hunger visiting,
Death by a thousand cuts.

Life Experience

Having had a particular
Life experience where
She hasn’t had to think
Much, if at all, about
Anyone else but herself and
Those in her immediate circles,
She deems it appropriate to
Prattle on about things
Clearly beyond her ken
But that she nevertheless
Strongly feels she has a
Conclusive perspective on
That supersedes the actual
Experience of those who
Live through the hardships
Caused by her misperception.

Things Aren’t the Same

Contorted, enraged face,
Screeching in pain as
He senses that things
Aren’t the same as they’ve
Always been, that he can’t
Impose his boorish, petty
Will on everyone, that he
Won’t be afforded every
Opportunity by virtue of
Birth, that his place
On top of the pyramid is
Now a prelude to a swift
Downward slide, undeniable
Evidence of the hollow
Power and influence
Wielded by him and
Others sympathetic.

Forcing

It seems like
Every month the
Paycheck pays for
Less and less and
Decisions have to be
Made regarding what
To pay for or put off
For another time as
The quarterly reports
Tied to CEO pay driven by
Investors’ expectations
And rampant greed
Make every product smaller,
Less of a value,
And a larger chunk
Of small budgets,
Forcing painful choices.

Filtering

For the world to be
Whole, beautiful, loving,
We simply need to
Experience it through
The clarity of being healthy
Rather than filtering it
Through our wounded selves.

Practice

Profiting
From war doesn’t
Lead to conciliation.

Bellicose
Words don’t
Invite dialogue.

Suspicion and
Hatred don’t
Bring us together.

Peace
Is
Possible.

We just
Need to
Practice it.

Govern

Just so its
Perfectly clear:
I polluted your
Water knowingly,
It fits with my
General philosophy
About business being
Able to do whatever
It wants and everyone
Else fending for
Himself or herself.
I don’t care if there are
Many other, more humane,
Ways to govern,
I take care of myself
And my own, period.

Convincing

The exhausting struggle
Between pessimism and optimism,
One seeing all the things
We can’t change and
The other visualizing
A new day. No small feat,
Convincing a doubter that
We can actually do
Something to help the poor,
Reverse the tide of
Discrimination, improve
Everyone’s quality of life,
Live in peace,
Save the planet.
It’s been shown time and again
That human beings can do
Amazing things to help
One another, enduring evidence
We are capable of moving beyond
Trepidation to collaboration.