Being human

Have we really fallen so low

To make fun of the person with a disability

When we don’t even know

What they have to face daily

We only jeer in mockery

Have we really fallen so low

To hurt the vulnerable beggar

When he has already fallen under life’s blows

But we only judge condescendingly

As we pass them by with a haughty swagger

In all our superficial pomposity

Have we really fallen so low

To blame the victims of domestic violence

When they were unjustly treated

Beaten, shamed, and denigrated

Yet we close our eyes and keep a complicit silence

Have we really fallen so low

To raise our voice on the elderly

When they have no one to protect them

And yet they sacrificed their lives for our society

For a government that now sees them as a burden

Have we really fallen so low

To belittle those we see as different, as less worthy

When they already struggle with their identity

Have we really fallen so low

To pride ourselves on our superiority

When we are completely ignorant of what is others’ lot

What battles they are fighting, the pain they carry

Have we really fallen so low

To raise our hands against small children

When they are completely at our mercy

And meant to be loved and cherished

Have we really fallen so low

To be entitled about our privileges

When we should be grateful and humble

Have we really fallen so low

To take advantage of those who are weaker

When they cannot put up a fight

Have we really fallen so low

To enjoy the humiliation of those who fail

Instead of being compassionate when they make mistakes

Conveniently forgetting our own failures

Have we really fallen so low

That we cannot be patient and kind

That we cannot be respectful and understanding

That we cannot be generous and caring

That we cannot be benevolent and wise

That we cannot be noble and brave

That we cannot be capable of love

That we cannot be simply human

***

Thank you for reading!

Bahora Saitova