Refraction.

The Wise Men.

In the same sort of way that wise men once said
The state would wither away under communism,
I am being crushed beneath this capitalist society.
My only value is my productivity, my contribution,
But my body has limits and my mind needs time
Before it can give anything else of value,
Much like a field just after harvest.
There is no time for nature as there is no profit to be found;
There is no time for me when I am no longer useful.
I've advocated for myself, taken time out,
And yet I am made to feel ashamed; like I don't deserve
To consume resources and take up space
Unless I'm continually giving myself away.
I don't want to give myself away.
I am not a commodity, a machine nor a soulless drone.
As wise men once said,
"It is not the consciousness of men that determines their being,
But, on the contrary, their social being
That determines their consciousness."
I am aware of the trap that I'm caught in, and just want to live
In a society rather than an economy;
A society rather than a state; a society that is a community,
Where nothing is more important than having and living a life
Free from such normalised exploitation and stress.
It's strange, I think, that I should be considered radical
For believing that we have this common sense of humanity
And bonds of fraternity that entitle us all
To have food to eat and roofs under which to sleep.
I am tired, and there is no revolution to be had.
The solution to this stifling of my fellow people is beyond me,
And I am simply left to wonder
What those wise men would propose
If they had been around now.