Humanity in Early Twenty-First Century

The medical clinic charges a sliding fee

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At 7:00 AM,
five days a week
the working poor,
the uninsured,
the homeless,
gather in front of the clinic door waiting,
without appointments,
for 8:00 and the clinic to open.

Waiting to see a doctor or a dentist,
praying that the cash we have on us
or in our bank accounts
is enough to pay the required fee
without putting us in the red this month.

We are the aged,
the infirm,
the disposable,
the disenfranchised,
we are the first to feel the economic pinch
and the last to receive relief
when the economy stretches to embrace the country.