It's Tough! Poem by Eugene Levich

It’s tough to be a cop
Today in America
It’s even tougher to be a Black kid
Any day in America...
It’s tough to be a kid anywhere, any day,
But especially in Syria, Iraq, Nigeria.
It’s tough!

It’s not too bad to be an oldster in America
With Social Security and Medicare
Still, you ache everywhere
And you’re a step away from being nowhere
As Bette Davis said, “Being old ain’t no place for sissies? ”
It’s tough!

It’s tough to be for democracy in Turkey,
Or in Russia, or in China and
It’s tough to be a Muslim in Syria
Or in America—
You may be the sweetest person—
But people still look at you sideways there
And wonder if you’re a bomber
It’s tough to be a Jew anywhere
‘Cause they blew up the World Trade Center—
After they bombed Pearl Harbor (The bastards!) .
It’s tough!