The American Dream - turned Into A Nightmare. Poem by Tor Magnor Solvang

The promise was a golden stair,
Climb high, they said, breathe hopeful air.
A house, a job, a life secure,
For every soul, a future sure.

But steps grow steep, the climb feels hard,
The rules are changed, the game is scarred.
Rich get richer, poor get less,
A widening, painful, deep distress.

Where children used to rise above,
Now many stand where parents strove.
The ladder's broken, rung by rung,
The hopeful song remains unsung.

A home, a dream, now out of reach,
A bitter lesson life does teach.
For prices soar, the dream recedes,
Leaving behind unmet needs.

With bills that pile, and pay that's small,
It feels like hitting every wall.
A hundred thousand, not enough,
When living's hard and times are tough.

Long ago, the stories told,
Of dreams that turned to dust and cold.
For some, the door was slammed shut tight,
Lost in the long and weary night.

They said, 'Just you, can make it so, '
But when the world won't help you grow,
When helping hands are few and far,
The brightest dream becomes a scar.

And politics, a shifting sand,
Unsteady grip on this whole land.
Each hopeful thought, each future plan,
Turns to a nightmare, if it can.