Evenness
is an illusion
that humans have deluded
themselves into believing
exists
for centuries
ever since the first caveman
figured out how to get power
and keep it
and still believe he was being fair

How can we
when outside
there is a beggar on the street
scrounging for coins and scraps
struggling to make it through
each second
while inside
the rich enjoy their luxuries
sipping thousand dollar wine
in crystal glasses
wearing suits and dresses
that might as well
have been made from gold

How can we
when people are trying to
cleanly split black from white
and like ripping paper
it comes out jagged and uneven
and people are abused
for their race
for their skin color
black and white alike

How can we
when beauty, or money
is the reason you are liked
or its absence
the cause of your
incarceration

How can we
when those in power
stay in power
and those without
rarely rise to the top
and those that do
never do it without sacrificing
their desire
to keep things
“equal”

How can we
when our past is littered
with inequality
and injustice
and unfairness
that we shove into textbooks
and dress up with facts
numbers, devoid of emotion
that make the truth
of its downright wrongness
easier to bear
it might as well be a lie

It’s like we’ve pulled a shade
in front of our eyes
and it covers up
the ache
of the past
and shades the agony
of the present
from eyes weary
of only seeing the pain
of the people.