They speak of freedom;
freedom of religion,
freedom of liberty,
freedom of speech.
But they will get mad
because I wrote this.
They will want my first freedoms taken soon
- the freedom to think
and the freedom to speak -
so they longer have to worry
about the criticism of their actions;
the criticism over the removal of the rest.

"United We Stand,
Divided We Fall".
Why can't I live
happily, peacefully
as I want
without being told it is wrong?
That is the creation of division.
That is the birth of the end.

The building is breaking,
the cameras aren’t recording,
and I’m supposed to do my job effectively?

The world is dying,
the economy collapsing,
the people falling in the street,
and I’m supposed to find a way to be happy?

The bills are unpaid,
the lights won’t turn on,
the water is brown and smells of syrup,
and I’m supposed to care about your new skin line?

Our minds are poisoned
with deception and false information,
kept distracted by flashing lights and one-liners once funny.
Our youth is gone before its start.
Our elders work until their final breath.
The children are crying, screaming, pleading for peace,
yet they know too that it’s too late.
And we’re supposed to count the blessings gone unseen?

I am alive,
but what does that even mean?
All I can do is breath,
and hope the smoke doesn’t destroy me.
I have a safe home,
if you ignore the lead and asbestos.
I have a good partner,
if you ignore all of the screaming.

I looked to my neighbour,
and saw their lawn had no grass either.
We looked across the street together, hoping for new sights.
But aside from the blood and the bullet holes
the people there had the same troubles.
We broke down in tears.
We heard the cries for help,
but were too busy fighting ourselves.
Another life gone,
unprevented by healthcare that doesn’t care.

The news lady spoke of another shooting today.
They showed the children hitting the windows
and asked one fleeing to speak of his dead friend.
They mentioned the staff member killed
while calling the police.
A parent was arrested trying to rush in.
They could have been saved,
but better to ‘keep the public calm’.
919 dead overall.

But still,
they want us to smile
and pretend to be happy
in what is supposedly the ‘greatest country’;
kept alive solely by those willing to give their lives
for what they consider to be a good fight.
We’re meant to never complain
for the sake of modesty and good names.
Meanwhile, 80-year-old men are arguing
over who gets to decide our fate.
God bless America,
and all the dead people living in it.
Prayers for those permanently lost to it.

I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation, under God, indivisible,
with Liberty and Justice for all.

Justice for all our black neighbours
who have the honour of being murdered
should they make the mistake of looking
at a police officer the wrong way;
officers meant to unhold the meaning of justice.

Justice for the gays who’ve spent decades fighting
for their right to publicly exist,
even accepting torture as punishment
for the sake of the greater good;
only for those rights to be put back in a box.

Justice for the women bleeding in alleyways
at the hand of a man who knows
that even if he’s caught,
he’ll still get away with it.
He just has to blame it on her skirt.

Justice for the brothers and sisters
dying at the hands of their cruel parents
and a crueler system that would care more
if only they still existed in the womb.
A life being lived is a life not important, I suppose.

Justice for the mentally impaired
who were perceived as burdens
and God’s punishment for mankind to bear;
who are still fighting for their right
to work, own, and love as others do.

Justice for the felons who got the label
in a state of teenage recklessness,
who have not the right to vote
or have themselves a good career,
but get to watch another run for president.

Justice for the Natives who often go missing
and reappear mysteriously deceased,
but are rarely ever looked for
or never given any protections.
Who are still fighting for their right to keep their land.

Justice for the children
who have to practice lockdowns
in case their school is the next one attacked.
The fear of not going home heavy on their hearts;
thoughts and prayers the only thing sent if they die.

Justice for the non-Christians whose lives are threatened
and temples are frequently attacked
because they don’t fit under the allegiance,
for the don’t follow the ‘right’ God
or practice the ‘right’ way.

Justice for all of the lonely Americans
who have to watch their liberties
be put on the stand and questioned again.
The ones fighting one more time for the right to live.
To love. To be safe. To be a person.

Justice for the ones watching
The arrogant applaud their loss of freedoms
for the sake of their own personal gain.
Justice for the ones listening to their loved ones
tell them that it doesn’t matter.
I guess we just don’t matter.

To Liberty and Justice for all.

The journey was not meaningless,
but what purpose did it hold?
The memories are sweet,
though bitter they may be.
Almost too bitter for a lone soul to bare.
In the end, they are nothing;
not even there.
In the end,
nothing is there.

Screams may fill the air,
the sound may be deafening,
but there is no escaping.
Too many people won’t bring themselves to care
about the sound, about their neighbours, about humanity.

We are not alone,
but we have never been in a crowd.
We are not hopeless,
but hope is running out.
We are not doomed,
but salvation never seems to come.

How do you hold on
when there is nothing left to grasp?
How do you pull yourself out of a hole
when the rocks are filed smooth?
Who do you turn to
when the backs keep turning?
And when it’s all over,
who remembers you?

Murdered at the hands of leaders
who won’t bring themselves to see the errors.
The fear keeping the eyes closed
so the bliss of ignorance never goes.
The end brought by the ego
too proud to say a single word.

Some way, peace will come.
It may come bloodied with an axe,
bringing forth more suffering than ever before.
But eventually that will be the end.
The chaos, the fighting,
the wars, the hatred,
the pain, and then
The final scream
signifying the end of pain forever.
Though completely avoidable,
if not for the willingness to not see
that which does not serve you.

The rotting bags of flesh,
the smell of sweet death,
the emptiness of the souls,
and the hurt now left.
All at the cost of everyone.
All at the hands of humanity’s pride.