In My Lifetime

In my lifetime,
The leaders of my birth country
Have fought a dozen wars
To liberate:

The oil
From the ground
Of a foreign nation;

The wealth
Of a dictator,
Mourned by no one;

The people
Oppressed by a tyrant
Who was first armed by my government;

Women
Subjugated by a different tyrant,
Who was also armed by my government.

We've fought a War on Drugs,
And a War on Terror.
But no one wants to give
Peace a chance.

My beautiful country
Where we have no money for food,
Or healthcare,
Or housing,
But endless funds
For the tools of destruction.

Where we have no money for science,
Or education,
But can give a blank check
To any rich fool deemed
Too big to fail.

Is it any wonder
That so many people have given up
On the dream of self government?

The greater wonder is that anyone
Still believes in it at all.

The fools,
The dreamers,
Who still hope for a better world.
Who can still imagine a future
Where liberation isn't just
Another word for ownership.

What would this world be like
If we didn't have
People like them?

And what could this world be like,
If we were all like them;

If each of us were allowed
To dream again?

When can we start dreaming again?