All Lives Matter

"All lives matter,"

they say.

"Don't be so selfish.

Everyone suffers,

so stop minimizing our suffering."

All lives matter.

When you refuse to wear a mask in public,

your life matters.

When you hate those around you for trivial things,

your life matters.

When you allow crimes to go unpunished,

your life matters.

You want to desperately for your life to matter

that you discard the lives of others.

You say "All lives matter,"

but that's not what you mean.

What you're really saying is

"My life matters."

You say it to convince yourself

because even you don't believe it

anymore.

When someone says "Black lives matter"

you look on in disgust

calling "them" hypocrites

for wanting the same rights as "us."

Yet they're not the selfish ones.

They want a life where it's safe for their children.

Where they can walk the streets

with pride on their faces

and not fear.

When you say all lives matter,

you're giving everyone a glass of water.

But some people already have endless water,

and some people need much more than a glass.

In order to have equality,

we must first level the playing field,

and it's not level yet.