Inequalities

By Vijaya Nagarajan

 

Inequalities

fences  boundaries  borders walls prisons cages forced labor

black, brown, white

genders, races, classes, castes, ethnicities

sexualities, ages, disabilities, religions

countries, geographies, and languages

education, literacy, and “development”;

 

secret, untaxed, excessive profits, off shore and on shore,

exclusive stock market access and corporate monopolization

capital–––economic  social  natural

excessive levels of inheritance from one generation to the next,

second third  fourth  fifth home   how many more do you need?

carrying over

 

beauty, height, and personality

alpha males  alpha females

 

habitats disappearing

elephants whales poisoned bees owls

lakepedderearthwormPasadenafreshwatershrimpCanterburyknobbedweevilSnakeRiverSuckerRedTailedSharkMexicanDaceMarylandDarterNewZealandGraylingSilverTroutWyomingToadHulaPaintedFrogAinsworth’sSalamanderTahitianSandpiperMauritiusNightheronReunionIbisHawaiianRailHawaiianCrowCubanMacawLaughingOwlKangarooIslandEmuBaliTigerGuamFlyingFoxLargeslothlemurJamaicanmonkeyPuertoRicanHutiaStellar’sSeaCowYunnanBoxTurtle

ReunionGiantTortoise*

already extinct species

 

deserts expanding

cracking mountains

fires burning

ice melting

oceans rising

 

love

access to dignified paid labor    dignified unpaid/exchange/gift/shadow labor

householder community work activist  moving stuff around

teachers, laborers, farmers, cleaners, clerks, artists, cooks,

servers, diggers, gardeners, makers, seeders, healers,

problem solvers, organizers students all workers all laborers

 

access to food

ripe tomatoes ladyfingers eggplants blue and brown potatoes corn

green beans kale sweet cauliflower  green cabbage lettuces

radish daikon beets squash zucchinis mustard betel

sweet rose-colored apples bananas pears mangoes grapes oranges

grapefruit peaches nectarines plums watermelon cantelopes

melons pineapples

nuts pine walnut almond peanut coconut areca

rice black brown white green purple red lemon tamarind

yoghurt oat milk sorghum maize wheat

lentils green red blue yellow pink black brown white

mostly plants

please make your own lists

 

access to housing

four walls eight walls twelve walls sixteen walls twenty walls twenty-four walls

twenty-eight walls thirty-two walls thirty-six walls forty walls forty-four walls

forty- eight walls fifty-two walls, how many are too many walls?

floors ceilings  roofs kitchens sinks stoves bathrooms windows doors beams closets

 

access to culture, travel and safety

music, dance, theater, countries seen and been to–––who has the tickets to

voice, community chorus, talks, porch and corner conversations, rights to safe walks on  trails on the beach, the road the street the path the park the bicycle the rickshaw

those who have too much   please give away  as a very close friend once dreamed–––of all the rivers of money flowing outwards onto the earth coming to everyone

how pay your taxes and more

those who expend too much carbon   give away your carbon

maybe even feed a thousand souls every single day if you can

 

love to

plant more trees along the roads for shade fruit soil

plant green new deals everywhere now

right now right tomorrow right the day after and after and after until

ship of life is righted on the waters

breaths of today tomorrow the day after and after and after

 

 

*Endangered Species International 2009 List of Recent Extinct Species Last Update April 2009