Bystander

All around me, injustice.
Thick in the air, popping up everywhere,
a dark cloud threatening
to burst.

I am an injustice-gazer.
Watching through my telescope,
I see it. I see the protests, the
conversations, all the talking talking talking
about how wrong this is.
Yes, I watch from afar,
agreeing it's wrong, but
I stay back.
I decide it's not my problem.
I decide it's easier not to speak up.
Easier to accept that I can't change the world
than defy that and change it anyway.
Easier to hide my face during the scary parts of life
than to keep them wide open, full of courage and fire.
Easier to be happy than
make change by being sad.
Easier to separate myself from the injustice
than to connect myself to it all and find that I fit perfectly, because I'm human, too.
We all are.
We all need to care.
But it's easier not to.

But easy isn't how
anyone gets anywhere.
Watching doesn't do any good.
Telescopes aren't worth your money, trust me, I know.
No, they don't do any good, not
any good at all.
Only change does.