A Poem: The Social Contract

by bernt & torsten

In the hallways of youth, they grandly declare,
"Work hard, persevere, show that you dare,
Excel in school, in university, too,
A prosperous path, surely, will follow you."

A lullaby sung in the cradle of time,
A contract, a promise, a societal rhyme.
A mantra chanted in the heart of the youth,
An echoing promise deemed to be the truth.

But paper and print seldom translate to life's streak,
An age-old truth, for the bold and the meek.
Striving, thriving, working, always giving,
Yet what is received, scarcely counts as living.

The ones who toil in sun, rain and freeze,
Seldom partake in society's feast,
Giving their all, reaping but a crumb,
To the world's sweet song, they are but deaf and dumb.

And yet there are those who take but do not give,
Draining Earth's bounty, with no regard or reprieve.
Avarice and power their guiding light,
Hoarding the riches, hidden from sight.

"Wealth and power" - an unspoken decree,
Stealing from many, in a world snared by greed.
Raiding Earth's pantry, leaving nothing but strife,
The wealthy few, play a different tune in life.

Can this be the contract we so firmly hold?
A gross inequality, bold and cold.
From rich to poor, the divide vast and steep,
A social contract, etched on humanity's weep.

Yet it is in our hands, every man, and every woman,
To rewrite the rules, to reshape this flawed plan.
For fairness and equity need no decree,
Just the courage to stand and the will to see.

This need not be the play we enact,
A world stripped bare, a sorrowful fact.
Together we can reimagine the pact,
Craft a social contract that's truly intact.