This Is Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be

I want to scream at the top of my lungs.

This is not the way it’s supposed to be.

I want to yell into the void,

give me what I believe.

There is no happy ending.
There is no American dream.

We bought into this nightmare sight unseen,
and now it’s swallowing us whole.

And none of us know where to go.

We’ve been dumped on
and pushed around,
and we’re tired of taking it.

We’re tired of bending over,
forwards,
backwards,

climbing on our hands and knees,
begging,

Please, please,
just give me some scraps.
Just give me a dollar.

And as we holler, wanting more,
we’re told that we have enough,

with no food in our fridges,
our cupboards are bare,
no money in our bank accounts.

But somewhere out there,
someone thinks this is enough.

They can survive.

They’ll be fine.

As we wonder where the next penny falls,
we curse each time something breaks down,

and all the cash that we work so hard for,
slaving away,
empties from our bank accounts
in one single day.

But nobody cares,

except the other people
fighting the same battle.

Those who could save us
would rather shovel dirt on our heads
and leave us for dead.