Our Fears: A poem by Karlo Mila

Koha poem by Karlo Mila for Living Wage Movement, Living Wage Whanau Day, Newtown.
Reprinted with permission.

This fear
That there is not enough
although we make enough food to feed the world,
many times over.

This fear
That we are not enough
and we buy and we buy and we buy,
to keep other’s eyes on us, and off us.

This fear,
That we are not safe
unless we have savings, insurance, stocks, bonds, assets, investment properties,
all the different kinds of ways to save for every kind of rainy day.

This fear,
That there is not enough to go around,
and we must stake our ground
live within the confines of those white picket fences
simply do our best within these boundaries.

This fear,
That we must each have the largest slice of pie possible,
that to divide each working day into $19.25 an hour
so that people can feed their own families
is an unreasonable idea
that would tip the whole pie cart over.

This fear,
That these ideas are so normal to us
in the society we live in,
of pies, cakes, and crumbs.

This fear,
That we are not enough
to do anything about it.