when the old man drinks too much
and the kids can’t get enough to eat.
you lose that part time job
because the boss’ nephew
is out of work.
when you wake up in the darkness
and wonder,
how will I pay that power bill
that’s been sitting on the table
for three weeks?
it’s always been there.
when your parents took you to church
and told you to pray
to an invisible God
for redemption;
when you worked hard
to get a college degree
only to get turned away
from the industry,
and then, the whole system;
when you lost that baby
from the rarest of genetic
disorders and the chaplain
tried to explain the difference
between nature and God;
when that white powder
tried to creep in
and steal another child
at the hands of a soulless
community.
it’s there every morning
when you wake up,
to greet you with its
unyielding truth and love
in spite of your damndest.