The other side is broken

They say the grass is greener on the other side
Brighter without the fire that burns it black
They say the sun is always shining 
And the people always smiling 
Without the dread that fills their hearts and the fear that tests their patience 
They say life is better on the other side 

So if we can just climb over our walls of protection
And step over the cracks between rejection 

Over the rivers of indifference 
Under the waterfalls of our privilege

Maybe if we can climb the mountains of language and communications
And ride on the backs of birds with wings of justifications

Following lines on the map of maybe one day we'll understand it 
That we might think it's hard here but if we were there we couldn't handle it 

Cause you see I've seen the other side 
And I've felt the rain there too
And every time it touched my skin 
It burned me

So you can keep hoping for greener grass
I'll keep fighting to survive it
Used my blanket as an armor 
But it still hurt me

Cause you see the grass here is withered and its green has turned to gray
Dyed with all the pesticides and ashes of yesterday 

Bullet shells shield the grass from getting burnt by the rays
I try to enjoy being on the other side but it hurts me everyday 

When I see people searching the streets just to find something to eat
To feed a child 
Who's unaffected by gun shots 
Cause he's heard them so many times 

I see people without homes, no shelter, and empty plates
Sisters who watch brothers desecrate
Brothers who watch sisters get raped 
Children committing suicide cause they're desperate for an escape 

Something isn't right 
What's so great about this other side 

The sun isn't shining here
Cause it fears the attacks 
Bombs drop like desperate tears did
And maybe here will be next 

If I close my eyes
I hear screams of women in my sleep
And I can't rest a single minute 
I'm counting prayers instead of sheep

Counting down the hours until the night falls 
Cause I'm suffocating in this heat 

So tell me
What's so glorifying about my suffering
What's so bright about my pain 
So complain about the traffic
I'd take those problems any day 

There's poison in the air
And screams fill the night
If we just take the time to listen
It's a battle worth the fight

But we don't listen 
We don't hear the other side 
We close our eyes 
Cause once the truth has been heard nothing else feels the same
It's such a shame 
How we crumble too
When those walls start shaking 

We turn our backs on those who need us most 
And ask why our world is breaking 

We give to people only as a use of entertainment

And wonder why this boom of depression is growing 

We close our eyes so we dont see the effects of our actions

And ask how one could be so blind 

We say we care for humanity 

Yet we shoot missiles in the sky

And don't care about where they'll land

When 
Will we realize

We're clueless to the destruction we're causing with our very hands

Oblivious to the pain of others we don't listen and excuse it with the phrase of 'we don't understand'

We give so little always expecting so much in return and wonder why we have less 

Always complaining about having nothing when in reality 
we're blessed

We have so much compared to most, we show no appreciation 

We turn our heads to those in need and expect to change this nation 

We hear the news say what's going on, but we're quick to switch the station 

Cause God only knows what could happen if we lost control of this self deprecation

So maybe we should start hoping for wellness for all instead of greener grass for ourselves 

Cause this indifference is like a plague 
And it spreads like a wildfire 
And we're all trees with broken branches but together we can make a forest big enough to carry all the resources needed for us to survive 

So close your eyes
And imagine 
Being on the other side 

Appreciate what you've got.

And the next time someone tells you how much greener it is on the other side 
I can assure you,

It's not.