The Us Of Society

Society pushes us

Until we want to scream

But Society,

Is made of us,

People.

 

Some up high

In the Forbes list

Some middle class

Living from paycheck to paycheck

And to the bottom

The ones called scum and worthless

Because they’re left penniless and defenseless

 

And I bet some of you are already angry, ashamed, or heartbroken

And some maybe, confused

But, look that's life

And that's not all

I admit it,

All people fall

 

If you’re in your car

Look out your window

What do you see?...

 

I bet you see, a sign

That says, “ Homeless. Anything helps. God Bless”.

Let me guess?!

Did you pass him by, even as he pressed a “poverty-stricken” hand against the glass??

 

Okay, now look to your right,

Yes, next to the liquor store

 

Do you see that woman?

The women scrapping across the dirty concrete

Looking for leftover cigarette buds?

 

Yes, well guess?

 

She’s looking for buds for a temporary bliss to feed her addiction

She left home early at the raw age of sixteen

Because she thought,

Her parents were wrong, because,

She thought she had a love worth saving

Ten years later she’s filing for divorce and physical abuse

She’s left with more than physical bruises and scars

So she tries to mend her wounds,

She goes to the clubs, she sleeps around, she drinks, she smokes

Does this for an endless cycle for another ten years

Everyone else looks at her with disgust

Telling the 40-year-old, to grow up

 

But, then she remembers she needs a man

A man to pay for her drinks, her buds, her jobs,

For her needs and her wants

Oh look￫ Here he comes,

Coming out of the liquor store

With his pants hung low,

And a case of beers in his arms

And she’s back where she started

 

But, it’s not her fault.

I mean not really

It’s none of their faults

We all hurt

And we’re all evil

 

Call me cold or a liar

But tell me

What would you do?

 

When a friend leaves you alone at a party

In a dark room,

Drunk, cold, vulnerable

A kickback full of hormones and drunk, loose boys

Next thing you know

You isolate yourself

From your friends, your family,

You’re depressed and secretive

 

You let no one know

What happened that night

And why the sudden change

You’re ashamed

 

Now, turn the page

Do you see that 9-5 waitress?

Yes, the one serving the tuxedoed white men

Yes, the dudes who stop by every day in their classic Mercedes

The ones who are CEO’s of their own company

Yes, that women

 

She goes to work from 9-5

Maybe even longer

Because she’s got two boys to feed and wake up

And she’s got no time for heels and makeup

That’s the lifestyle for this single mother

Who’s got no time to dress up

So she deals with the men every day

As they call her slow and stupid

But she kisses their asses

Knowing she lives of their tips

Swallowing her pride for her kids

 

Okay now look at the road in front of you

Do you see those two teens in the alleys behind the block?

 

Well, they’re smoking weed

Because no ones told them any better

Just left them home with a babysitter

 

I don’t care what you say

It comes down to the parents

Bad or good

They need to learn discipline

Because in 4 years

Instead of new sneaks

Straight out of high school

They’re into a brand new pair of cuffs

Behind bars

For what?

No new sneaks, car, or degree

They’re stuck with a sentence for life

 

But look….

 

Remember the homeless man and his sign?

Yes?

Well, someone helped him out

Not you, not me, maybe him or her

But because of that one person

He picked himself up with some help

And now, he’s got a minimum wage job

He’s dressed nice and clean

He’s more than grateful to be,

Second class

 

Remember the woman?

Abused and addicted?

Well, guess.

 

After two lines on a test and the birth to her first child

She took him away from the abuse

Deciding that she could handle the pain

But she’d never ever let her child do the same

Never too late

She went back home to long-awaiting arms

Wide-open

That same home she left at sixteen

 

Now, she’s finally home and loved

And loving her new bundle of hope

Tied the rope

To a new husband

Knowing this time he was the one

 

Wondering about her addiction?

 

Guess what?

She’s been cold turkey two years now

Yep, been going to sessions since

 

Remember that teen girl alone at the rager?

Well, it took her a while

But, she finally spoke out

Opened up and cried to her family about what happened

She followed through and filed a case report

She’s free to say he’s now behind bars

And she found out she’s not the only one

Who fought the same thing alone

Now, she holds her head proud

Running campaigns to support her fellow women

Who went through what she did

And it took her a while

But, she found a man she trusted

And loved his touch

 

 

Remember that 9-5 waitress?

 

Did I mention she’s an immigrant

Yes, she dealt with it all

From racism, to favoritism,

To social Darwinism

 

Well, her work paid off

One son went to college

Another straight into climbing the rank of marine

Thanks to her work

They bless her

And provide for her in return

Her marine son gifted her

A chance of a certified citizenship

The other a house and a new car

And of course,

it’s a classic modern Mercedes

 

From all these years

As a single mom

It paid off

Her back might be old

From those years of hard labor

But, she never sold her soul

And never gave up

After it all

It was worth all her love

 

 

My point is Society and Life might break us

But that's all up to us

Let it break us or make us

None of us are worthless or hopeless