The Other Side Of Justice Poem by Joan Marques

Driving on the usually well-paved,
Broad streets of L.A.
I sometimes wonder
If those who have always lived here
Know just how fortunate they are
For being able to take
This 'first world'-life for granted:
Going to the grocery store,
And purchase whatever their wallet allows
Without having to face empty shelves
Caused by the malpractices
Of a corrupted government
Or the mere existence
Of an anemic economy
I wonder if they are aware, these people,
What the other side of the coin looks like:
The life where buying a coke
Means sipping it with a straw
Cut in half-out of a plastic bag
That usually leaks anyway.
I wonder if they know what it's like
To timorously savor every storage-can;
Every sheet of toilet tissue;
And every piece of cheese...
I wonder if they count their blessings
And realize that there may come a day
When the ordinary will turn into luxury
And luxury will be out of reach
Even for the richest ones
Yes, sometimes I just wonder
If they know
How different the world is
At the other side of justice...