another life

in another life
no one
was ever
a grease monkey
changing
oil at
a gas station
on the new jersey
turnpike,
or a slave
being whipped
in back of a vessel
while rowing
with a splintered
oar.
no, most people
were kings and queens,
nobility of sorts.
rulers of
long forgotten worlds
perched upon
gold thrones.
which perhaps
gives reason to the
way they behave
now, expecting
so much for doing
so little.