Pale

Not all wars are visible
the paled battles are the most vicious.
Hunger sold and overfed
turns the stomach into poverty.
Voices of the poor, turned into paintings
sold as art to the highest bidder.
The preacher
blind of heart,
bleached of sight,
merchandised the words
the wings of the angel have turned to pale stone.

Faces

Those who commit crimes will serve the criminal and demonize those who bring attention to criminal behaviors and demand justice.

Those who are the established will serve the establishment and demonize anyone who speaks against globalized strong holds.

Those who are hungry for power will serve the powerful and demonize the powerless.

Those who commit inappropriate acts against children will serve those who traffic them and demonize those who expose.

Those who are double tongued will serve the liar and demonize truth.

Those who are corrupt serve corruption and demonize the ones who stand against it.

Whispers from stone

Stigmas fall like rain
upon the backs of the young,
souls rooted to broken stone.
There are no sidewalks here only streets.
Colors fade to gray.
There are no homes here only government structures erected as gods
creeping through the veins of the hungry.
Restless dreams given from broken walls,
taken captive by plates filled with rationed mantras
sung by those who hear but do not listen.
Poverty like a cancer grows
binding the arms of the young
to whispers from stone.

*new writing published this morning on Spillwords

Exempt

Who does government work for?

“Every politician should have to live on the same streets their polices loom over.”

Those running for office will say,
“Who does government work for?!”
The answer has proven itself over the years, government works best for the politicians.
Politicians exempt themselves from
stagnant wages,
mandated healthcare
rationed meals
rationed medications
walking to work because the car broke down and there’s not enough to fix it despite the fact that someone works 2-3 jobs,
exempt from the true effects of a corrupt economic system whether that be capitalism or socialism,
despite the fact that someone works 2-3 jobs and still needs to go to the food pantry, a political figure running for the presidential office will never be so affected by stagnant wages that they need to stand in line at a food pantry,
exempt from hunger,
using a stove to heat a small area in the kitchen
boil water on a stove to bathe because stagnant wages have made it impossible to keep up with rising costs.
So who does government work for? The government itself.
*picture: Bridgeport Ct. the New York Times