Implementing Distributive and Recognition Justice for an Equitable Net Zero

Left Out of the Future

They say change is on its way,
that it’s fair, that it’s for all of us.
But here in this cramped flat,
I feel the chill of what they forgot.

They talk of green parks and clean air,
of bright roads and quiet cars,
but in our cold kitchen,
we only see what’s not there.

They tell us we’ll be part of it,
this future where things are “just.”
But no one asks what it’s like
to count pennies for heat or food,
to wrap in blankets when the nights get rough.

They promise warmth, a cleaner sky,
but never mention the climbing costs,
the gas, the light we can’t afford,
the warmth that feels so far away.

Our struggles don’t make the headlines,
we’re just a corner in this place,
watching the city glow around us,
feeling the future slip away,
like shadows on our street.

They say they remember us,
but the bills keep climbing,
and I wonder if justice is for everyone,
or just another word left out,
lost in all the space in between.