exhausted

A poem written out of exhaustion and frustration. I usually don't get political or socially critical in my writing, but had to get it out somehow.

I'm exhausted

by causes

preached left

and right. 

Voices

resounding

and pounding

my mind while 

I'm trying

to blend,

just grounding 

my head

in some calm.

No white lies

or black tears,

drown my ears

to block out

all the shouting.

Can we simply

be living?

Humanity

screaming,

burned building

keep falling,

shots ringing,

and all we can do

to keep safe

is keep hiding,

not in fear

but in caring 

and loving

our neighbors.

But freedom fighters

learned nothing,

repeating the

death and 

denying the 

causes. 

Called flawless

but lawless, 

lining streets

full of cars,

blocking lifelines

for fellow

Americans

and calling it 

liberty.

Are you kidding me?

Come clean

and admit

it was never

a national thing,

just a vendetta

to bring back

your casual

shopping.

Fighting freedom's

your thing,

selfish first, 

then maybe

the suffering

can have a 

reprieve,

some rest from

your incessant

demanding. 

You value

convenience

over others'

well-being.

You can live

at a minimum,

but mistake pride

for self-serving

self-inflicted 

misery.

Don't you see

the death toll

rising,

understand that

isolating is the

best solution

to end

the dying?

A beating heart

means more than

crisp bills 

fresh for spending,

but from

your way of

thinking,

this cause you're 

crusading,

the cash lining

your pockets

outweighs the

value of

gravesites

lining city 

alleyways.

Look, I get

your frustration,

feeling useless,

impatient,

breaking routine

isn't our style.

But when duty 

comes calling

it's unforgiving,

whether fighting 

nations or

sickness,

on foreign shores

or our own,

picking battles 

within only

weakens,

bickering leaves us

dividing and being

conquered,

not conquering.

Is that the kind of

freedom you're 

looking for?

There's no guessing

what we could 

have done better,

just preparing

for another

wave and 

wanting nothing

but a quick

recovery,

for everything

and everyone

to make it out

still breathing.

And so I'm pleading

as I live and breathe,

try putting

the lives over liberty

like our grandparents

did, living

ration to ration

for the good

of the country.

Put your passion

toward helping

this world to 

keep living.

The dollars will

start flowing

and the traffic 

will start moving

once our hands 

are clean enough

for holding 

steering wheels

and loved ones 

again. 

But first the 

sickness

must stop spreading

and we must be 

strong enough

to hold back,

pause the damage 

we're causing.

And that's a cause

worth fighting for.

Author's Note

Just looking for critique to improve myself. I'd prefer critique on the recitation, if you want to check it out on Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/vahouser/exhausted

Reviews

[Julie McCarthy (juliesp..]

I like this I’m following the USA news and uk news from here down under
I liked your speech / poem

[John the Baptist]

Both the title and the spare, clear wording reflect the feeling of many of us in the middle. If you aren't already, you should be a speechwriter.