i sit here scratching bug bites
reading twitter posts from the moral majority
thousands of hashtags screaming out in protest
from behind their computer screens
sickened by this week’s tragedy
yet the streets of dissention are empty on this block
save the homeless picking through the trash
i wonder where the protest is
or is it enough to voice your outrage
in one hundred and forty characters or less?
is it enough to post a meme of some injustice
to feel all warm and self-righteous inside?
i look for the debate
between the ads for amazon and hot dog stuffed pizza
but it’s just trite bullshit and platitudes
no more than a collective shrug from the slaves
binge streaming episodes of the latest netflix
a candlelight vigil by proxy
a feel good moment before the next set of bullets fly
and when they do it’ll be the same crap
millions of smug illiterates opting for love and hate
hashtagging away their empire of illusion