“Work harder! Go faster!”

A 50 year old man
With tired, permanently red skin,
From years of work outside
His 20 year old boss
Yells at him from his desk
His rotund, hairy beer gut hangs
Over his belt
His knees
And elbows
Worn out beyond repair
Yet he continues
To work 12 hours a day

“Want a ride little missy?”

A greasy trucker,
With few teeth
Offers the young lady
On the street
Her skirt is tight and stained
Her skin covered in bruises
From previous rides
Yet she climbs in the truck

“You think you are a hero? Huh?”

Says his dad as he goes in for another punch
He is 17
And wears a jacket and jeans
to school everyday
To hide the purple and blue underneath
He knows how to stitch up his own wounds
Yet he goes home
to his father everyday after school.

The tired man goes to work everyday
to pay for his wife’s hospital bills
for she has
breast cancer.

The young lady works on the street
and gives her body over
to put food in her
three children’s stomachs.

The teenage boy goes home
to get beat everyday
so his father doesn't beat his
7 year old brother.

What's the reason behind your actions?