Absence

I believe there is goodness

But when women would prefer a bear

And children would be safer alone

And standing up for something different

Can get you shot in the face with a gun

Or when speaking too loud

Or having a certain color of skin

Or desiring another human

Sharing the same gender as them

Can purchase a death sentence

That no one was trying to buy

Or when wearing the wrong clothes

Or having the wrong hair

Or being so beautiful

That they can’t help but stare

When your scarlet letter

Has a bold red stitch

Or when the whispers of the privileged

Mark you as a witch

Or when you choose your own fate

And refuse to be controlled

Or when the god you choose

Doesn’t come from the good days of old

Or when you say no

Or when you say yes

Or when you stand against

The righteous and the best

And the payment for these sins

Is your life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness

When being human

Isn’t enough to be treated as such

When a select few

Keep getting to pick who makes the cut

I believe there is goodness

And often, it is absent

So very often

Those in power

Those who get to lead

Simply forsake it

Because why choose goodness

When you can choose greed