Of Differences and Similarities

by Keta K from Storybook

We differentiate ourSelves from others.
In ways arbitrary or concrete?

Two centuries ago it was simple:
deliniated by the rules of Society.

If one was African, or Irish
Catholic. Protestant. Or pagan.
If one spoke English, or something European.
Or not. Therefore heathen.

If heathen then exploitable,
and worthless.
In fact land itself carried more value,
than the humans working it.


If not Catholic, or worse Protestant,
deemed to have 'no God'
therefore expendable. Thus there being
no crime in using a person

for economic gain.

And today?

With no royalty, no noble class
the lines are blurred.
But for the weathly,
remain
firmly in place nonetheless.

Muted criteria and arbitrary
seperation
between 'Us' and 'Them'.
Those that have nothing,
but work for all.
And those that have all,
but work only for themselves.

We are all participants
even if not Wealthy.
By virtue of living in the
First World
and having easy access

to products of the labour
of the Very Very Poor.

Oh but it's so nice!
After a hard day's work in the city,
to have some good Chocolate
a nice Coffee
with Sugar.
In the morning
perhaps a Banana.

but a pittance from our wallet,
it costs a lifetime of work
from Some Faceless Soul
we will never see
or know.

Much less care about.

Were we to pay the true value
for these items
we consider ordinary;
those living below the equator
in the Southern Hemisphere

would not be so different,
after all
from We
ourSelves.

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Keta Kosman is Editor and Production Manager of Madison's Canadian Lumber Directory, in North Vancouver BC, Canada. When not mired down with the intricate workings of the North American lumber industry, she escapes to the beach to capture images of wild bald eagles in their daily lives.