Should I Care? Poem by Nancy Terrell

Should I care that my upper arms are flabby
That my neck looks like a turkey gobble
And my tummy is way too big
Should I care?

Should I care that our rights are being taken
From our citizens at large
That our nation supports wars & killing
Far more than they do health and freedom?

Should I care that we have not universal health care
That the poorest countries worldwide
Treat their poor better than we do and that
Our nation is – first in greed and consumerism?

Should I care when homeless veterans
Cry secretly into the night
That their country has deserted them
Coming home to apathy and poverty?

Should I care that my sons
Have to bear economic burdens that I never had to face
For my grandchildren to receive a higher education
They must re-mortgage their homes?

Should I care when taxes are taxing
The very breath I breathe and Public Lands
Are being taken away for private commercialization
So that the rich become monetarily endowed?

And should I care – when the very fiber of our nation
Is reduced in hope – knowing that our president
Elected to the shouts of change
Has betrayed us, being far less than his predecessor?

Yes, I should care and - and I do! !