Promises
They promised me education,
in school, in university, in life.
I got a head full of mashed peas and a disappointed mother
They promised me safety,
At home, on the street, at work.
I got 33 wars at any one time,
A killing street and
The traffic light of life on constant red.
They promised me opportunity and freedom.
I got stereotypes, bad jokes and
a cage called myself, in which
I cannot stand up.
They promised me equality, in the papers, on the TV, to my face.
I got a social divide larger than the
Sun and more dangerous to traverse,
a president whose greatest threat is a redneck
Making use of his right to bear arms, and a society
The crux of its existence is the confidence of others.
They promised me a future, better than theirs was, family, love, passion, happiness.
My future is a remote island,
Standing in sizzling heat,
Pressed nose to nose against the other 9 billion sons,
And the only green, in my life on your planet,
Are the gases emanating from the pipes of the industrial whores,
And a patch of inorganic forest kept
In remembrance of better times.
They promised me wealth
Let them bury me in money,
And push my coffin out to sea.
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