Expired Plates
In a society where double standards create a set of separate rules, tales of calamity, catastrophe, and tragedy shape the news. A traffic-stop, a broken taillight, an air freshener, expired plates. Misdemeanors, racial profiling, systemic injustice bred from hate. With trepidation, people of color tread lightly on the roads. Civility, humanity, a longing to behold. A little boy, a little girl, the fear for their own fate. Rogue policing, stripping dignity; they see expired plates. In a society where inequality will surely touch their lives, should they drive upon the roads that don’t know wrong from right? Maybe they should carpool. Maybe they should wait or chronicle the deeds of those who see expired plates. With the reality of brutality or impending death, what
last thought will cross their minds? “Will this be my last breath?” Pray for your sons and daughters. Tell them what’s at stake. Strive to change the policies that define expired plates. In a society where legislators strive for positive change, may the outcomes conform to standards, God Himself ordained. Evoking morality, equality, and eradicating hate. Creating societies where propriety dispels expired plates. With regard to life, its value, and injustice etched in time, ensure integrity and accountability with pursuit of any crime. Honoring the courageous who serve as witness to each case. Understanding, all must serve to tell the world, they’re not expired plates.
About this poem
I wrote this poem in light of the tragedies that people of color experience way too often in the world today.
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Written on April 23, 2021
Submitted by lorna_j on May 10, 2022
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:09 min read
- 56 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | AB |
---|---|
Characters | 1,461 |
Words | 230 |
Stanzas | 1 |
Stanza Lengths | 2 |
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"Expired Plates" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/129155/expired-plates>.
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