Chicago

They say the city never sleeps,
It does,
I've watched it dream.

But while the rich man scores on stock,
A beggar softly screams:

"I'm very sick and hungry too. 
Ma'am, can you spare a dollar?"

But she'll stride by him, heedlessly,
A fine, disdainful scholar.

And in this way,
The city sleeps,
Simply silencing the sounds.

70 men aboard a ship,
Watch 70 more men drown.

"Ignore them,"
Said the oldest man.
The captain of the ship.

"For if we saved these poor wet men..
This journey, we'd forfeit."

69 men turned their back,
Drowning out the oceans cries.

But the youngest man,
He held his gaze,
"Don't you see? These men will die!"

He screamed intensely at the crew,
Til’ his words to them were silence.

And on the next dark stormy day,
He approached Sir Captain Tyrant.

"I'm having nightmares of those men.
I curse the ocean blue."

But the Captain leaned in close and sneered
"At least it wasn't you."

The young man handed him a ring and whispered,
"It was someone."

The captain saw the ring through tears,
For it belonged to his eldest son.

It was dented, dull and beaten,
Ripped from the sea by a deadly wave.

"69 men along with him....
And you cursed them to their grave."

In one short breath the Captain dropped the ring,
Right by his side.

Walked to the starboard,
Closed his eyes,
And jumped into the tide.

The crew stood up submissively 
And turned to face the boy.

As he spoke, his view was shifting
To the streets of Illinois.

"There was a time
When all of us
Were exposed,
Unsafe,
Or weak.
This was not because we were ill-prepared,
Or flawed in our technique."

"It’s impossible to list each step thats led you to this place 
Look at each other.
Look at the beggar.
We are one human race."

"Now lift your head up,
Sit up straight,
And refuse to place the blame."

"Walk up to a human
Who’s different from you 
And ask them: what’s your name?”