They only took the worst of the worst

They took the worst of the criminals

They took the father of 3 marine sons he was cutting edges

They took the young girl she was watching over the children

They took the hairdresser he was cutting hair

They took the 4-year-old who went about with cancer

They took the farm workers who were picking fruits and vegies

They took the bartenders who served up drinks

They took the hotel staffs who cleaned up messes

They took the construction workers too much building

They took the homemakers, grandmothers, grandfathers

They took the students, mothers, fathers, children

They took them from homes, churches, schools

They took them from the playgrounds, yards, streets

Yes they took the worst of the worst

Those hardened criminals on the prowl

Seeking to live life with some joy and decency

And we watch them take the worst of the worst

Color draining from our faces

Color draining out of our neighborhoods

Should we feel relief or remorse, pity or joy?

The worst of the worst were being taken

But they sure looked a heck of a lot like us

lived their lives the same as our

Did the same things we did

So we couldn’t help but ask ourselves

If they are the worst

What does that make us?

The baddies?

#TheAmericanHaitianPoet #Woke #SocialPoetry
Paypal.me/murielvieux (the poet could use some help)
Muriel Vieux – July 4^th, 2025 – ©All rights reserved