Land of the Free, I ache within

This treasure trove of gaunt and thin

An Escalade uncaring

Pass the needy sharing

Why must it be this way?

The hunger pangs, a knot inside

Children groan; my pain is pride

The plasma TV news

I stare down at my shoes

While barefoot orphans pray

The tight insides of them and me

Which hunger’s worse, I think I see

To know and still be not giving

Is wealth that’s not worth living.

Redemption starts today!

by Ed Pierce