Privilege
80 cents to a dollar
65 cents to a dollar
59 cents to a dollar
White, black and Hispanic women earn compared to a white man
Sore legs from walking up stairs
Looking at people pass them by on an elevator
Heading to the same destination
Only the people in the elevator
get there first
Seeing a police officer and feeling safe
Knowing they are there to help
While others freeze, put their hands on the dashboard
And have to take every precaution possible
To make sure they get home alive
You have a better chance of winning a race
If you start 10 feet in front
But the ones behind you
Will just have to run twice as hard
Sweat twice as much
Try twice as hard as you
to not even win
Everyone has hardships
that is universal
But do you have to live your life in fear of something
you can’t control?
Gotten in trouble for trying to
better your life?
Suffered simply based on
the color of your skin?
I think your poem and topic are really powerful. I really like your use of enjambment in this poem because it almost seems to create a sense of uncertainty that the people your poem represents may feel as each line remains seemingly "unfinished". I think my favorite line in your poem is the way you start with the comparisons to men's wages.
ReplyDeleteI thought the topic of your poem was really strong. I really liked your third stanza, where you compared minorities to the people who start the race 10 feet behind you and try twice as hard to not win. I also really liked how you chose to break the lines in the last stanza, with the end of the questions in their own lines. I thought this added some rhythm to the poem.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your poem! Your use of imagery really shines through. I really like how you ended on a question that left me thinking. My favorite aspect of your poem is your introduction because of its repetition and how it really drew in my attention.
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