We Cannot Breathe...

Maybe if we were less accepting,
Of even a little unkindness,
Maybe if every living thing,
Was pointed out as precious,
Maybe if every child was taught to feel,
And not be deaf to the silent appeal,
Of starving men and suffering beasts,
Listening instead to unwise priests,
If we were not so unfeeling and cold,
Emotions in check, so richly controlled,
Maybe if we broke down and wept,
And refused to so easily accept,
The man on the pavement,
Broken and bent,
The dog all alone,
Dodging every cruel stone,
Maybe then the world would have far less,
Of criminals who transgress,
Of tyrants who oppress,
Of men who are able to sleep,
After deeds that make Gods weep.
For when the little acts are allowed to live,
They grow to proportions impossible to forgive,
Yet still we walk on by,
Masters of turning a blind eye,
Till the hand of fate,
And unthinking hate,
Reaches out and touches us,
Then we rail at the Universe.
This is life, I have come to see,
This is a side of humanity,
The pain is so hard to bear,
It chokes us of the very living air,
Till masses stand on the street,
And silently scream, "We cannot breathe."
~ Poornima Pillai

*Dedicated to the slaughtered Mexican students and Eric Garner.