He stands commandingly at
The podium, gesturing with
Contrived hand motions,
Wearing a creepy, plastered smile,
Confidently proclaiming that
He will take away
Everyone’s health care,
Limit women’s rights,
Deport the immigrants,
And continue his passionate
Pursuit of helping the rich while
Destroying everyone else;
The crowd cheers wildly.
One person’s other
Is another human being’s
Mother, father
Working long hours
At the distribution
Center, hoping to
Get ahead, rent a
Larger apartment,
Feed the family while
Putting away a few
Dollars here and there
To send the kids to
College, the realization
Of a dream, a generation
Not toiling in sweatshops
Being shouted at by
Those who think they’re
Inferior in some way.
“I’m a former racist,”
He says matter-of-factly,
“And I know that all this
Agitation and strife is
Caused by two things,
Greed and fear: greed
Because we’ve all had it
A certain way all these
Years and don’t want to
Give anything up or share
What we’ve got, and fear
That the people we’ve wronged
Will rise up and come after us
For everything we’ve done
To them.” He pauses and adds,
“It’s time for us to
Acknowledge what’s happened and
Start talking about it so
We can all live together
Like we’re supposed to.”
What is often
Overlooked,
Ignored,
Is that one can
Become amazingly
Wealthy without
Destroying people
Or the planet.
He helps
A vulnerable
Stranger.
He finds it’s
The most meaningful
Thing he’s ever done.
The world made kinder
By a person’s
Selfless gesture.
It was a
Beautiful moment,
A realization
That he had the
Ability and
Wherewithal to
Make a difference
In other people’s
Lives without any
Need for recompense,
Only the reward
Of knowing he had
Done something good.
Remember those heady days
When we knew we could
Change the world,
Where anything was possible,
Where the old constraints
Were no longer binding us
To antiquated notions of
Order and righteousness.
We believed in
Peace and love and
Building a better world
For everyone.
It’s still achievable
If we just remember.
The difference between
Doing something because
You have to or
Because you want to.
Giving to benefit
The greater good or
Solely for appearances,
Altruism or self-interest.
