We're all separated
preaching to our choirs
but should we not aim
just a little bit higher?
We rage about inflation,
racism, intimidation,
mistreatment of the elderly,
children, first nations…
police brutality,
what we do with our bodies,
how we choose to raise families,
and even who suffers from more inequalities…
Yet we shy away from personal responsibility
and let "higher-ups"
dictate our stories-
our value.
Putting us all in the same box
or in different ones when it suits.
Isn't life more fulfilling
when we wear our own shoes?
If some win a war
the others surely lose
so why would we be at war
with nothing to gain?
Why do we fight over every aspect
of our lives?
It's time we realize
that when we all try to fit
under one small umbrella
we leave no room to dance-
This cannot be our agenda.
We're desperately trying to navigate
through rules and ideals
we did not create.
We couldn't see the real issue here
If it slapped us in the face:
formed to function to fulfill
another’s fate.
Break the mold: reform
into one’s true shape.
Pointing fingers at each other
over and over again
we only leave room for hate.
When we ignore the problems
we create within every solution
we worsen our state;
allowing more friction.
How can we move past
this cycle of contradiction
when so focused on trivial alliances?
Nitpicking at someone's life choices?
Drowning out reality with such petty noises?
Walk away and never consent
to the misuse of our voices.
They're meant to connect us,
bring understanding and inspire
not stoke the already flaming
ideological fire.
Can you truly be right
whilst getting pleasure
from someone else being wrong?
Why are we fighting
when we need to get along?
I know it sounds cheesy-
But can we not all agree
that we all grieve
for something…
For the dying, the poor
for this class war that's rising.
There’s one simple moral:
NO stealing.
That goes for life, health, freedom
and someone's hard earnings.
If we move in this direction
we'll see a new page turning.
History is in the past.
The future's not writ
and shifting our perspectives
requires no regulations or permits.
We’re designed to lose
confined and restrained
but when we liberate our minds
we reclaim our freedom to change.
by Kayla Henry
Copyright © 2022 Kayla Henry
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
All rights reserved. No part of this poem may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a review.