Back to Issue 3

For the Next Society by Jasmine Ramze Rezaee

Marcuse is emblematic of not only a generation
But of a principled conviction
The view of the minority
Which I am also part of
And thus he speaks for me,
And to me
And with me
It is our ideas interspersed together that fills the lacuna of an ideology
Buried under a myriad of falsehoods and false beliefs
And it is quixotic
Some say, achieving our "elusive" goals
And what if that other society happens to be worse than this one?
What if some discrepancy develops between intent and result
And we create a hideous beast
Like before?
But that is an excuse, my friend
That justifies our inaction
And rationalizes our oppressive and bloody existence
Whatever the next society
We need to begin with conceding, yes it is a possibility
And work from there on.

Why I want to be Poor by Jasmine Ramze Rezaee

The Sun beams Her rays upon me
but all I feel is a cold chill
I am walking, utterly trapped in a thought
walking like I always have
except this time I'm walking like a poor man
with no goal, no destiny
no point to reach, no from A to a B
and I think
            "I want to be poor
            Poverty will keep me humble, will keep me modest, will keep me honest
            Poverty is the only true thing in this society
            It is a hard life, I won't lie
            But I'd rather be poor and speak with the force of truth and dignity
            Then be just another liar and phony"
and then I think
            "Who am I deceiving?
            I could never be that selfless"
and I think of all the wasted minds
wasted in line of the soup kitchen
wasted washing the dishes for six dollars an hour
a struggling artist, forever, or a waitress with gray hair
wasted because they are still fighting for sustenance
for basic subsistence, existence
in the land of the plenty.

That's it, isn't it
Doesn't poverty remind you of that great injustice
That can only be recollected
Once you are poor.