For the Workers

And together we watched it happen
Watched the stars come out at night
There, right before our eyes a grand reveal
And the stars—the people
they did what they always do

They got up
They packed their lunch
They clocked in
They delivered their bodies
They took orders
They didn’t complain

They were grateful
They smiled
They cashed their checks
They paid their bills
They stretched
They were broke again

They prayed
They sacrificed
They made miracles
They raised children
They held their heads high
They endured

They worked in grocery stores
and fields and janitors’ closets
and restaurants and shelters
and classrooms and factories
and banks and offices and warehouses
aboard buses, trucks, trains

They dreamed
In emergency rooms
and clinics and morgues
and mortuaries
and nursing homes and cafes
and in despair

Because rent
Because food
Because bills
Because integrity
Because heart
Because power

Capitalism commodifies the constellations
commanding that someone—a celestial body even—
be the labor that makes the money
for those at the top
who don’t really make it themselves