They tinker around the edges,
Making changes that have no
Real effect and often weaken
The underlying structure.
They claim it’s all about
Accountability, performance,
But it’s really about dismantling
Institutions that help the public.
Never mentioned at any point is
The necessity to fully fund
Meaningful programs that
Benefit the vulnerable.
The hard-working
Son of a sharecropper,
He leaves the sweltering
Heat of his small shack
And walks down a
Dirt road toward the
Center of town,
Where all the
Tidy buildings beckon
And well-appointed citizens
Stroll through clean,
Tree-lined streets,
Nodding to each other,
And where he’s never
Felt quite welcome.
He remembers the stories
His parents told him
When he was a child.
Bright, shiny,
Absolutely beautiful.
Bursting with excitement,
Potential, optimism, intelligence.
A whole life of
Unlimited possibilities awaits,
Places to go, people to meet,
Dreams to be made real.
Not so fast,
We do things a certain way
In this family,
In this town.
Clamp on rusty shackles of
Societal expectations, constrictions.
Know your place,
Be a good girl.
Things haven’t been
Going too well lately
In our little town.
Sure, we’re still proud of
Where we’ve been and
Who we are but
Times are tough,
You gotta do what
You gotta do.
Yesterday the senior center
Shut down, tomorrow the
Food pantry closes its doors,
A week ago the high school
Told kids to share books,
Music and art programs
Disappeared years ago.
Tough choices,
It’s gotta be done.
She talks about
An entire system
Set up to benefit
One group of people
Who never have to reflect
On why things are this way or
What it does to those
Not favored.
The people she’s talking with
All react with
Defensive outrage,
Proving her point,
Unaware of their privilege.
See them fall,
One by one,
Maudlin cries
Searching for
Meaning following
Their expiration
By nearly completely
Avoidable means.
Barely a single
Audible voice
Speaking on their
Behalf, imploring
Someone to do
Something about
Senseless carnage.
Silence, cowardice,
Sanctioned slaughter
To appease a lobby.
He’s a family man,
Working hard to provide
For his beloved wife and
Children, getting up each
Morning hoping this will
Be the day that his boss
Stops shouting at him or
Making wisecracks at his
Expense, or cutting his hours.
During the meager standing-up
Break that passes for lunch
At his workplace,
He overhears someone talking
About social justice,
Which makes his blood boil.
I fight for what’s mine,
I don’t rely on anybody else,
Hard work leads to success.
Lost in the outburst are
The many hours he’s
Worked off the clock,
The complete lack of flexibility
And benefits, the absence of
Opportunities to move up,
But none of that matters,
He fights for his earnest
Misapprehension of reality.
It
Costs
What
It
Costs.
Public education. Universal health care. Help for the vulnerable. Etc.
They’re running out of ways
To squeeze more money
Out of them.
They’ve lowered their wages,
Raised gas prices,
Increased grocery costs.
Bank fees levied,
Cell phone service astronomical,
Cable TV costs prohibitive.
Health care obscene,
College tuition impossible,
Mortgages unaffordable.
There’s only so much juice
You can extract from a fruit
Before it withers.
