Pity the Wealthy

I pity the wealthy

who pity me

they see my rags and think

my soul, just as bare

while hoarding gold

with wide-eye glare

they see, not me, but thee

a shine, like fool’s

as clear and empty

as Echo’s reflection

in mirrored sand

(after Khalil Gibran and Lawrence Ferlinghetti)

© 2025 Chenda Duong

Note: I write this poem in a time of great political, social, and economic upheaval, as an expression of my dissent and protest against rising tyranny, oligarchy, and authoritarianism in America.

Inequality.org: “Wealth Inequality in the United States” and “Oligarchy Has Arrived in America. Will We Confront It?” (2025).