Driving on the usually well-paved, <br />Broad streets of L.A. <br />I sometimes wonder <br />If those who have always lived here <br />Know just how fortunate they are <br />For being able to take <br />This 'first world'-life for granted: <br />Going to the grocery store, <br />And purchase whatever their wallet allows <br />Without having to face empty shelves <br />Caused by the malpractices <br />Of a corrupted government <br />Or the mere existence <br />Of an anemic economy <br />I wonder if they are aware, these people, <br />What the other side of the coin looks like: <br />The life where buying a coke <br />Means sipping it with a straw <br />Cut in half-out of a plastic bag <br />That usually leaks anyway. <br />I wonder if they know what it's like <br />To timorously savor every storage-can; <br />Every sheet of toilet tissue; <br />And every piece of cheese... <br />I wonder if they count their blessings <br />And realize that there may come a day <br />When the ordinary will turn into luxury <br />And luxury will be out of reach <br />Even for the richest ones <br />Yes, sometimes I just wonder <br />If they know <br />How different the world is <br />At the other side of justice...<br /><br />Joan Marques<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-other-side-of-justice/
