poems about justice

Every Single Day

You don’t know what
It’s like to be forced to
Be deferential, to
Constantly defuse situations
That could rapidly escalate
Just because someone
Knows he can overpower you,
To have to laugh at
Comments you loathe because
You don’t want things to
Go terribly wrong,
To keep your opinions
To yourself lest you
Bruise an overinflated ego,
To have to fend off
Unwanted advances
Every single day,
To have people sneer at you
When you speak up.

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Face

A jovial, friendly sort,
Always a joke or
Smile at the ready.

Back at home,
He rages against
Those people.

Ask him in public,
He loves everyone
And everything.

In private is
Where the truth
Shows its face.

Dominant

Contrary to what some
People believe,
You can’t oppress a group
That is in power,
No matter how much its
Members screech and holler
And pretend that they
Are victims.
The dominant group
Is just that, dominant.

Health Problems

I hear you’ve been
Dealing with some
Health problems lately.
Cheer up, I’ve got
A plan to get you
The help you need.
Forget all that confusing
Stuff about single-payer,
What I’m offering is
Vastly better.
Simply take all the
Extra money you have
From your $7.50-an-hour
Job and put it in
One of these magical
Accounts guaranteed to
Pay for almost nothing.

Directives

Please adhere
To the plan,
Without thinking
Or questioning,
Just do what we
Tell you to do
And keep your
Thoughts to yourself.
At all times,
Think only about
What we tell you
To think,
All free-thinkers
Shall be re-educated
In one of our
Facilities.
As always,
Continue watching
The screen for
Directives.

Fit of Rage

As soon as he realizes
That he will have to
Provide health care for
His underpaid employees,
He breaks into a remarkable
Fit of rage, screaming that
He’ll be unable to absorb
The costs and that he’ll
Have to raise prices.
Lost in all the bluster are
The human beings that toil
For him, night and day,
And can’t make ends meet,
Especially since he
Reduced everyone’s hours
To skirt the new laws,
While he relaxes
In his opulent mansion.

Beyond Their Own Needs

All the members of a
Small group are given an
Equal amount of money and
Asked to either give part of
It to their fellow members
Or keep it for themselves.

Most participants choose to
Give some of their money away,
The well-being of the group
Being more important than
The accumulation of wealth
For personal gain.

In every group, there are one
Or two individuals who do not see
Beyond their own needs and
Cavalierly decide to keep
What they have while continuing
To receive money from the others.

Making Decisions

Sitting on his high perch,
Absolutely enamored with
The sound of his own voice,
Pontificating endlessly,
Tediously, greatly relishing
His contemptuous, haughty,
Condescending pronouncements.
An intoxicated appointee,
He savors every delectable
Morsel of sovereignty and
Dominance he wields,
Making decisions far too
Important for a person of his
Vanity and numbness,
A sweep of the hand,
A dead, arrogant smile.

Separated

Herded into an austere room,
They are told they have
To perform a solemn duty
On behalf of their country.

No room for discussion,
Just non-negotiable commands
To do as they’re told
By supposed superiors.

They are expeditiously
Separated into groups:
Those who will follow,
And the dissenters.