Time to Make Demands

S.W.Thompson · Time to Make Demands

​freedom is the simplest request.
there is no cost to it;
it is a state we are born into.
at our earliest moments
when we have the least control
we are the most free.
even when we are not free,
in those earliest moments,
we are free.
the structure and rules
thrust upon us from then on
by family, law, religion, or circumstance
chip away at those freedoms.
even when we believe we are free,
especially when we come to understand we are not,
the decisions we make
or the decisions others make on our behalf
constrain us or restrict us or punish us.
while some lucky few of us
capitalize on those constraints
to push us toward our passions
or to fight with all of our being
to overcome,
many of us don’t have that privilege
and, yes, it can be a privilege to resist.
not everyone can stand or kneel
for what we believe
without forcing life altering consequences.
not all of us
can muster the conviction
to risk everything
in order to fight for that freedom.
what should be an inalienable right
is taken for granted by those in control,
or in the majority,
or in control of the authority,
and it reduces the capacity
for those without
to become those with.
especially, when the system
has become so burdened
with inefficiency and corruption
powered by money and influence
from the powers which it was established
to protect the people against.
the system for providing freedom
is not – very clearly –
the system stripping it away
we all make the simplest request…
give us freedom,
give us equality,
give us equity to fight for what we all deserve.
what we are all born with
give us the opportunity to better the world,
opportunity to better ourselves,
better one another.
this isn’t asking for handouts,
at this point it is begging for scraps.
let us all survive
don’t silence us because you don’t like
that we have inequalities
which you don’t like to hear about.
don’t patronize us
and tell us things are fair
because you were able to pull yourself up
ignoring the privileges or circumstances
which may have fallen in your lap
that you can’t understand
or refuse to accept.
don’t murder us
because you are afraid
that things might change
and that you’ll lose some of that power,
wealth, privilege, control, peace of mind
which you or someone before you
stole from those you saw as beneath you.
don’t lie to us;
don’t pretend you fight for freedom
when you are really fighting for control.
don’t lie to yourself;
take accountability.
freedom has no cost
but the price is high
and if the system is broken,
which it is,
the product isn’t worth the price.
not for those of us
with this simple request to be free.
if the system doesn’t repair itself
and the people in the position
to do the repairs don’t step up
and do their damn jobs
then the system will come down in pieces.
history has proven this time and time again
and with people
able to communicate, collaborate, and share
faster than any time in history,
the system will be dismantled and rebuilt
by those who stop requesting freedom
and begin to demand it.
it’s time to start making demands.