Now you’re down there on the ground
Looking up at me
Begging me to bear your cross
As if my life is void of loss
And marked by liberty
All day you cried, “What shall we do?”
Exactly who is “we” to you?
There’s always been a plan
You see, you chose to look away
Never saw yourself in the fray
We doubt you ever can
Now, you seek community
Now, you preach solidarity
Where on Earth have you been?
For years, so many marched and cried
Sacrificed; laid down their lives
Without ally, or friend
You’ve benefited from their fight
Without acknowledging their plight
You’ve always reaped the spoils
Then, happily retreated to
Spaces that insulated you
And shielded you from toil
Your precious votes, you threw away
Consistent, you could never stay
Said one thing, did much worse
Every time you could have helped
You wouldn’t even help yourself
Spewed big lies, line and verse
You helped create the mess we’re in
We’ve warned you time and time again
Ours is a shared plight
But, you played down others’ distress
Wallowed in fake happiness
Too entitled to fight
Now, the powers you defend
Whose cruelty you now condemn
Has set its sights on you
To carry out their evil schemes
I know—not even in your dreams
Did you think they meant YOU
When they were plotting who should be
Second-class in society
Stripped swiftly of autonomy
You assumed they meant ME
You were warned this day would come
It’s not a shock to everyone
Certainly, not to those
Who’ve had a history of lack
Of two steps forward; ten steps back
Orchestrated by men
Whose bigotry colors their schemes
For whom, power by any means
Is their favorite sin
And like them, you decline to act
Until the knife is in your back
The peril at your door
Hopefully, this time, you will see
When it comes to disparity
It’s best not to keep score
Or think your status spares you from
The injustices that everyone
Unlike you, knows full well
Stop trying to rewrite history
The guilt and shame you hate to feel
Have a story to tell
VRWc2023
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