They say “the grass is greener on the other side”

To express that green envy

Is simply illusory

A silent cacophony

Of covetousness.

They preach sermons

Of contentment

And thankfulness

Making hard to distinguish

Between this and complacency

Or apathy.

They tell us to happily

Skip along.

Nothing’s wrong.

But what if…

The grass IS greener on the other side?

Crossing a certain city line

The trees are bare

The grass is brown

When did our urban centers

Become dead towns?

But full of life

Black and brown people

Full of party stores

That lack the greenness of life

The freshness of produce

But at least we have liquor

To numb our senses

Dull our sight.

Is that what is making us colorblind?

Why can’t we see

That the black and white sides

Correlate with the brown and green divide?