Life?

Me versus We,

The truly shared catastrophe,

That which colors what we see,

The only space 'tween you and me.

This our nations broken strand,

The politicians give themselves a hand,

A round of applause for the likeable man,

And a noose for the man that we can't stand.

Social movements tear us apart,

But the ones who run them claim it's art,

Addicted to the high it starts,

When all the world can see their part.

Emotions rage and tensions rise,

While chemicals pollute the skies,

No one hears the prophets' cries,

And no one cares when another dies.

We've grown up seeing on the news,

All the oldest paying dues,

They didn't owe but we still use,

To justify the things we do.

Humanity burns at the altar of stars,

Who we refuse to believe were ever ours,

We worship their money, fame, and cars,

And no one cares that our children starve.

I was born to a nation in power,

When I was one it burned with the towers,

Now we struggle to reclaim what's ours,

Prideful even in our darkest hours.

I'm not crying for myself,

I'm crying for the loss we felt,

My brothers died my sisters knelt,

As the flags and shells were dealt.

The world is trembling on the brink,

And I'm forced to watch my nation sink,

While politics and religion bring,

Only further arguing.

Within the constant screaming strife,

I look and find no signs of life,

There's blood and gore on every knife,

In this our nation's afterlife.

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