The fear of living here.

Is a pandemic not a test
upon our ability to work in pairs
to find answers and share?
Rather we talk loudly
above each other
ripping masks off our faces
and spitting at each other
out of anger
because we can’t accept
that life before
was a total mess.
We long for what was
and we fight so hard
to get back
to crowded movie theatres
where we were shushed to silence
and dinners
where children
weren’t meant to laugh
or run around
sitting in a booth
being waited on
leaving tips
because apparently
the consumer is at fault
never the employer
shouldn’t everyone be paid a fair wage?
That’s why tips exist
so they do not
there is a thankyou
and then there is a matter of little respect
in which they’re paid below
average and others must compensate
it’s a sickly place
we’ve created together
and we keep existing in
because we fear anything else
even the richest of the rich
aren’t always smiling
because the fear of living
here is terrifying.
If only we understood how to share
no one would live in hunger or homeless
and we would all understand kindness
and the truth of honest respect
rather than a gimmick
to collect more money
and produce more shit.

Thanks for reading.
-Temperamentally Tina