Author: Gary Beck Source: http://www.polseguera.com/writers/writing-538_lacerations.html Lacerations Gary Beck/Lacerations   Oglescope The weather is still warm enough for women to wear short skirts, tight tops, bare midriffs, a visual pleasure for those who care to look, soon to be removed with the first chill of fall.   Ponderous Changes In the 1830's Americans went west for free land, an independent life without government, other restrictions. And they endured different conditions, drought, floods, hostile indians whose land was stolen. All for the sake of freedom. In the 1930's life in America had changed and more and more people lived in towns and cities, easier for government to control. For a brief while the workers had some hope to resist the bosses who controlled the wealth, the means of production. But all too soon the children of the union leaders joined the children of the bosses in identical comforts, ending resistance to oligarchy.   Sickness Across my country the ill, sick, ailing, diseased flock to doctors, clinics, hospitals hoping for a cure of whatever plagues them many treatable except old age, terminal disease withdrawal from struggle.   Land of the Free The land of the free is bitterly divided and reason has departed from the warring parties, no longer willing to compromise, so the wealthy do as they always do, still allowing some of us the democratic illusion of choosing our government, while many of us don't realize the oligarchs select our representatives, obliging them to serve their masters.   High Crimes Homeless children suffer more then other children from lack of identity, cast adrift in an uncaring land no fault of their own, opportunity removed despite the constitutional guarantees of l, l, the pursuit of h, obliterated, as we do less and less for innocent victims.   'Lacerations' is an unpublished poetry collection that looks at the many injuries we incur, mentally, emotionally and physically as we strive to do better in this difficult life.