First Monday of Advent

"because they sell the righteous for silver,
    and the needy for a pair of sandals—
7 they who trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth,
    and push the afflicted out of the way;" Amos 2:6b-7a

as we jostle elbows
with the crowds in 
the stores and 
type away on our devices
for the best deals on
only the finest we deserve,
remind us 
of the children mining
heavy metals for our
flat screens, lipsticks, laptops;
of the folks working
for a mere pittance 
for our latest mobiles;
of the those working
15-18 hour days so
we can get our deliveries
almost before we have
submitted our orders

(c) 2019 Thom M. Shuman