I’m exhausted by the grief 

And drained by this place 

This place that once held promise 

This world that once had values 

Or perhaps it never did 

When I look at the news 

And all I see is death and despair 

And my own community, divided

My own family affected 

When life no longer feels worth living 

And perhaps I’m a bit dramatic

But how could I not be Outraged

How could I not feel upset?

When people are trampled at a concert 

And family is dying of disease 

And homeless are freezing on the streets? 

When good people are being deported 

And politicians feed their ego 

Letting the hungry go starved 

And the mentally ill are force fed drugs

That alter their minds worse than before 

When people are judged by the color of their skin 

And women are judged by the length of their skirt

And men are taught to hide their emotions 

And a gay kiss in a movie is still considered taboo 

When middle class just means working til you die

And for what? 

Because we naively believed that Manifest Destiny isn’t just another lie? 

And the American Dream has become Big Brothers war cry

When it all becomes too much and I feel useless 

A pawn in the chess game that we call life 

Wondering if anyone of us will actually make it out alive 

 

Tori O.