Chen-ou Liu's Translation Project: First English-Chinese Haiku and Tanka Blog

Monday, March 31, 2025

The Prices We Pay

claim denial ...
this numbness outside
this anger inside

deny, delay, depose
etched on blood-stained shell casings
gathering dark

one less CEO ...
half awake to this Promised Land
grievance-shadowed

A haunting voice echoes in my mind, "I don't wish anyone harm, but when a CEO routinely brought in revenue of over $100 billion for a health insurance company with the highest claim-denial rate, double the industry average, it's hard to feel sad about his violent death. He spent his life making money by increasing the suffering of everyday Americans. Now, I just follow his lead of indifference."

Haiku Canada Review, 19:1, 2025