Grievances
By Alida O’Loughlin
Grievances, they now have gripped the country
Like a vise around its heart
And in anger and resentment
Tearing all of us apart
Grievances, where do they come from?
In the word, there is the Grief
Feelings that have long been buried
Come to the surface, however brief
Grievances, they then take over
Become an explanation for the hurt
Caused by others, lack of fairness,
Status lost because of birth
Grievances, they deal with money,
Others having more than me
All elites are lousy liars
Exploiting me and mine for free
Grievances, they do need healing
Be recognized for what they are
Past reminders, present burdens,
All of us we need to share
Sharing will remove the vises
Clamped around the country’s heart
Good education for all children, including civics,
That at least will be a start
Sharing hopes, work and ideals
In a service corps mandate for teens
To learn and live together, resource
People from outside our means
Sharing ourselves, legacies which formed us
who we are, knowing the past
To be amended, pride restored
False history will then not last
Grievances may buckle under
When we listen, ear and heart
And take action, share the future
All together and not apart.
Alida O’Loughlin lives in Oak Bluffs and calls herself “a frustrated poet and writer who never had time and is now running out of it….”
Poets with a connection to Martha’s Vineyard are encouraged to submit poems to Poet’s Corner curator Laura Roosevelt at ldroosevelt@gmail.com.
