social priorities

by

return to sender…

return to sender

i’ve posted
a
letter
to
death
didn’t bother
with
a
return
address
seemed
rather
pointless
since death
is
omnipresent
actually
the whole
letter
was
pointless
for
the same reason
but
it made me
feel good
to
address death
on
such a personal level
you know
like
when we say
we’re all in this together
or
i don’t see colors
those
ultimate
social platitudes
basted
onto
the carcass
of
human bondage
words
offered
when
folks
are
uncomfortable
or
are
uttered
because
the speaker
is
just plain stupid
about
the history
of
mankind
unable
to
see
that
even though
we
can
feed everyone
and
heal
most
there’s
a reluctance
to
do so
since
there’s
no
profit
in
morality
that’s
why
death
hasn’t bothered
to
write
back

by

auditory suppression…

auditory suppression

when death
comes
in
large numbers
all
at once
it’s
like
a sudden
down pouring
of
rain
that floods
our
consciousness
shaking us
to
our very core
but
child death
from
hunger
is more
like
a steady
dripping
in
the background
that
we soon
learn to ignore
that
sound
we hear
every
ten seconds
a child’s death
a child’s death

 

 

by

about that gnat in your soup…

about that gnat in your soup

i want
to
sincerely
express
my appreciation
for
your honest
statement
of
your deepest trepidations
but
as a mild point
of
perspective
i liked
to
call to your attention
to
this year’s
169 thousand deaths
of
mothers
that occurred
during
childbirth
oh
and
the
2 million hectares
of
forest
that has been lost
to erosion
erosion
produced
by
man’s negligence
of
the planet
oh
and one last thing
to mention
the
23 thousand people
who died
of
hunger

today
but
your serious
concerns
about
the availability
of
live lobsters
in
your local
market
will
of
course
be
given
appropriate
consideration

by

your voting resume…

a child
lies dead
drive-by shooting
not uncommon
in this part
of town
no need
for
stares
no need
for
prayers
it’s
just
the way it is
just
the way
it
is
a child
lies dead
a police shooting
not uncommon
in this part
of town
no need
for
stares
no need
for
prayers
it’s
just
the way it is
just
the way
it
is
a child
lies dead
some kind of drug-head
not uncommon
in this part
of town
no need
for
stares
no need
for
prayers
it’s
just
the way it is
just
the way
it
is
a child
lies dead
beaten by her pimp
not uncommon
in this part
of town
no need
for
stares
no need
for
prayers
it’s
just
the way it is
just
the way
it
is
a child
lies dead
no medical care
not uncommon
in this nation
now
no need
for
stares
no need
for
prayers
it’s
just
the way it is
just
the way
it
is