Am I Wrong to Question Rights?
Am I wrong to question “rights?”
Those complexities of society
With little oversight
It works for me
Should we disagree
But that won’t stop the controversy
When questions lead to more questions
Are these rights?
Or merely suggestions
Each definition raises new tensions
Inventions or simply good intentions
And are they freedoms or entitlements?
Ranked where in overall importance?
And I’m wondering
Who established their accordance?
If they’re fundamental to civilization
Where’s the evidence of their creation?
Are we born with them in our sights?
Something we own like copyrights?
Are governments the current source?
Seems to be a natural course
With all things legal, they endorse
Or are they a product of morality?
A way of saying how things should be
Despite being abused
And steered by blatant hypocrisy
Many angles and many disputes
Different tenants and attributes
Some claim their rights derive from god
While others call their gods a fraud
And demand they be outlawed
Combatants all claiming holy ground
Seeking opposition to push around
Others fight without a sound
Shadow figures, underground
These rights they say can’t be taken away
Inalienable claims,
But can they stay?
The list is deep and on display
The right to life, to liberty, and existence
To asylum, religion, and even resistance
Property rights, water rights, and entitlements
Non-interference, symbolized embodiments
Civil, political, social, and economic rights
Hard to determine which to underwrite
No master source of enumeration
Skepticism
Surrounding their creation
Individual measurements and relations
Seem to differ by status and nation
Aristocrats have high expectations
Obviously factual
Seen through observation
Philosophically the subject is confusing
Except
When we’re focused on what we’re losing
Or are they owned?
But we’re not using
Can these rights be stripped away?
Recycled and returned another day?
Or gone
Once they’ve been taken
A chance to reawaken
As we could be mistaken
Maybe rights come at a price
And earning them
Has some sacrifice
Author’s Note
Are rights something we are all born with, or do we need to earn them through our actions? How are some groups seemingly apportioned with better ones than others? Do some special interest groups demand extra special treatment than they might have otherwise? What’s to stop someone from trying to take our rights away? This list is just an “off the top” look at how I felt after a few minutes of thinking about the subject.
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Good questions in your author’s note, Ralph. And great work on the poem. Apparently our rights can be taken away by whoever thinks they have more important rights. In America we are born with rights according to the Constitution. Yes, some groups do get better rights when they think they matter more than others. Special interest groups have been so demanding they are abusing the system. I have a special interest in creativity (writing, doll making, beading, crochet hats to sell) – I think more rights should be bestowed upon me, yes? Oh well. I love the words you come up with for rhyme, very clever, and I like the flow of this poem, it reads fast. I enjoyed it very much. Well done, Ralph.
I enjoyed this poem, Ralph. Good questions, I’ve been thinking of them myself for some time now. Great way to bring the issue to the surface.
A complex question Ralph, and very well expressed as to approaches. I believe that rights come from the realization of self and perhaps derived from oppression, when one or many choose to lord over another. Rights then are the passage of equality and justice seen through the eyes of the oppressed. Very thought-provoking my friend. really enjoyed it.