30 pieces

30 pieces for every kid put in the system
    their parents not quite grown themselves
    so like Frankenstein with his own baggage
        but possibly we even more careless with our roles in creating

30 pieces for every girl and woman
    forced to make a choice
    because we were too embarrassed to have “the talk” with her
    and gave her every impression other than that she would still have
        a place at our table
        no matter what
                what have we chosen...?
 
(it’s never too late to start, by the way)

30 pieces for every immigrant jailed
because his family could no longer make a living from the corn
    that NAFTA could sell for a lot cheaper

(is it really “free” if it’s not working for everyone...?
    ...because it’s not)

30 pieces for every indian killed
    assimilated by greed and displaced
    their families and their stories all lost

(many of us are the descendants of foster children)

30 pieces for every white person
    driven to forget all of that
    the bloodshed that initially got his land deeded
    the slave labor that got it ‘developed’
    the relationships that it made sense to sacrifice 

(the feel of the ground under his bare feet
        still crying out that you don’t have to do that
            and I really wish you wouldn’t)
            all that

30 pieces
    for all that
        forgotten...

    Four bucks a gallon is a small price to pay