Push Back

Time flies, been more than twelve months and counting,

2020’s definition to extend beyond perfect vision,

Gonna make way for the year of catastrophies, cut a swath like tornados over the prairie,

Daily life changed, no revolution needed,

Dawn of a new normal, whatever that is, gotta get used to it,

Some didn’t make it but many still standing,

A testament to resourcefulness, will, courage and resilience,

The fallout a sight to behold, not in a good way, though,

Uncovered the worst in others, chaos and dysfunction, straight out of cartoons and crime shows, disaster flicks, too, for good measure,

That monster conquerin’ beyond the health and well-being of individuals,

Society crumblin’ to its influence, accusations flyin’ between nations,

2020 in the rear view but we’re still picking up the pieces,

At long last there’s progress, leaps and bounds to be sure, but a declaration of victory would be nothing short of premature,

Vaccines rollin’ out for front liners then the general population, a taste of freedom in some nations, the monster’s iron grip weakening,

But a wounded monster ain’t a dead one, victims numbering, still, in the thousands,

Gotta keep travel plans on hold, ain’t no telling for how long,

The ignorant and foolish are running rampant, in the Divided States, as usual, eruptions rival Vesuvius,

The cretins still attacking those from ground zero and surrounding areas,

Even others that resemble ‘em from all walks of life and circumstances,

Fuelled by hysteria, peep ‘em on the streets and social media, the choice comments sure to induce nausea, it’s a jungle out there, I’m telling ya,

Feels like the world’s gangin’ on ‘em, a hailstone of vitriol rainin’ from all angles, the Asians copping it from other backgrounds and races,

From those that are considered privileged, from the ones stereotyped as illegals and terrorists,

Even those they say require protection ‘cuz they’re being hunted like animals by law enforcement,

About time it got attention, where was it in 2020? No it ain’t better late than never, that’s little comfort to victims and their families,

To hear the authorities call it you’d think the matter’s insignificant,

Just bad days and temper tantrums, what an insult to the victims,

So Daniel Powter was murderous when he dropped that hit from twenty-oh-five?

Disgruntled employees got the green light to take another’s life?

Little kids tantrumin’ ain’t out there murdering,

Screaming, shouting and throwing toys in the corner their only acts of destruction,

The elderly and vulnerable the most frequent targets of these cowards,

Lack of guts got ‘em swervin’ those that shoot back without hesitation,

Fuck turning the other cheek, it’s time to take some initiative,

Can’t ignore ‘em forever, nothing repels a bully like assertiveness,

Speak up, give ‘em a piece of your mind, call ‘em out for crossing the line,

Remind ‘em of their wrongdoings, expose ‘em as dirty racists,

But if push comes to shove and it leads to fisticuffs, kick some ass if they want to throw hands,

They’re out playin’ ‘Slap An Asian’, clap back with ‘Break A Racist’,

Finish what they started, defend yourself but within reason,

Excessive force, though deserved, won’t earn you hero status,

‘Cuz the law might get you for thugging, ironically,

If they were on the wrong end would they view it differently?

If that had been their mother, father or grandparents how will they react?

Something for you to think about, Officer, racists deserve to be cracked,

The law’s fucked if bad days and tantrums can excuse hurting others,

The law needs reviewing if self-defense can lead to punishment,

But a word to the judged and frustrated, don’t compromise your dignity and character,

It ain’t wrong to curse the perps but leave their race and culture out of it,

Can’t conflate the innocent with the degenerates among ‘em,

The fire’s already blazin’, why dump more gasoline on it?

We are but one family, according to Bruce Lee, differences shouldn’t breed pettiness,

We all bleed the same, eat the same, come into the world the same, sleep, piss and shit the same, the fear and hate is such a waste,

It’s the 21st century, how’s this bullshit still happening?

After years of evolution and enlightenment, it’s time we acted like it,

Gotta keep holding on, it’s still a big bad world out there,

Regardless of race, creed and culture, we’re all in this together.