The Responsibility of Consequence

Tue, 05/17/2016 - 17:59 -- SDivi14

I struggle constantly, just like everybody else. Eyeing myself in the mirror, I look plump in all of the places I shouldn't. I want to work out, but I've got other things on my list that I'd rather do. That salad looks healthy, but it isn't appetizing. 

But to somebody starving? That salad could save a life today. The man who sits next to the library Dropbox all day would love a bite of that; in fact, I'm sure he wouldn't be complaining in the least and he would eat it all. That man, he values what I should value, because he no longer has the luxury of making the choice. It is, for him, a decision between life and death. He cannot be picky, or it will cost him. The phrase "beggars can't be choosers" has never hit him so hard.

As a student, I am offered some protections: I am allowed free lunch because of my low income status, abd the state I live in value education, no matter the cost. Furthermore, negative consequences are limited for me. For an adult, however, every decision can either build an empire or cause it to come tumbling down. Never before have I been so glad to be considered "young" by society, as my mistakes are more easily forgiven.

That man seated beside the library Dropbox is much less fortunate, and he suffers greatly and, I like to believe, disproportionately for mistakes of his own. He is yet another testament to the truth that life is arbitrary, and it can be most unkind. Karma may save him yet, unless Karma has already worked upon him inversely, and the man's choices are no doubt looming above him like a thunderous cloud. He has an over adequate, no doubt, amount of time to think them over now. Alas, all he has the energy to think about presently is that salad that I decided not to eat. Because I did; I decided to give up what I didn't need. For now, I, unlike my counterpart, am still free to do so without it costing me.

This poem is about: 
Our world

Comments

Additional Resources

Get AI Feedback on your poem

Interested in feedback on your poem? Try our AI Feedback tool.
 

 

If You Need Support

If you ever need help or support, we trust CrisisTextline.org for people dealing with depression. Text HOME to 741741