Stumped into Submission

a world leader once said,
and I’m paraphrasing-

if you want to see the values
or culture of a society
open its prison doors.

and the ancient Egyptians said,
the music of a land
shows the culture of that land

what do these things say
about the people
we have become

blame and accountability
are tools of damnation
responsibility,
the only means
for redemption and restitution

but responsibility
is given to the powerless
while imposed by the powerful
as well carried out for the powerless
by the powerful

one could say
responsibility
is a fourfold matter of
perspective position power and politics

is democracy
really the voice of the people
or an ominous voice
to the people
who’ve yet to realize
they’ve lost their voice
as a “people?”