without restraint
the living
become
the dead
a pregnant mother
becomes
a police shooting
her children
become
orphans
without restraint
the orphans
become
the living dead
their mother’s
touch
a memory
wrapped
in tomorrow’s hate
and
tomorrow’s hate
grows
without
restraint
the brown bag prophet
was standing
outside
the public library
wearing
one of those
radiation-monitoring-badges
on
his lapel
of course
i knew
it was
a trap
but
i still
fell
for the bait
and
inquired
why
the prophet
said
well
every time
i watch the news
i
feel like
i’m watching
a film clip
from
the invasion of the body snatchers
russia and china
are
offering
to be
stewards of the environment
while
the guy
in the white house
spends more time
tweeting
than
thinking
the french
are offering
asylum
to our brightest scientists
at the same time
that
what’s his name
is cutting
the very budgets
that made us
a leader
in scientific endeavors
endeavors
that offer the hope
of
innovative jobs
for
americans
in the future
and
the list
of
national body swapping events
seems
to be growing
daily
and
people
seem
to be
ignoring it
the only plausible
explanation
is
an invasion
of
body snatchers
and
from
what i’ve seen
ignorance
has
the characteristics
of
radiation poisoning
with no wings to fly
war’s child dazed peers into fear
recalls god’s promise
like a butterfly
caught in the wind hopes for peace
find no resting place
for
the first time
in years
i
stopped
the brown bag prophet
to complain
about
what washington
has been doing
to
dismantle
the little progress
we’ve made
in the last
150
or so
years
the prophet
said
careful
what you say
son
didn’t you hear
about
that muslim judge
in
new york
folks
gonna be
disappearing
during this administration
won’t be
no
press coverage
as
most
will be listed
as
accidents
so just
some damn
byline
or
obit
on the page
opposite
ads
for
dog walking services
just like
the old south
folks
disappeared
and
no one
dared
to
ask
where
we all knew
why
the new welfare recipients
ain’t looking
for food
or
cash money
no
these folks
want to ingest
political dribble
based on
their own
fanatic fantasies
they want
someone
to tell them
that
prince charming
will be arriving
on
the 4:30 crosstown bus
and
will deliver them
from the evils
of
literacy
so
they’ll gonna get
all
dressed up
in
racist gowns
made
from the finest
secondhand sheets
then
they’ll head outside
sit on the stoop
with
a case of bigot beer
and
shotguns of ignorance
screaming
at passer-byes
that
they need
to go home
screaming
as
they scratch
their diseased flesh
flesh
irritated
because
underneath
their sheets
they’re wearing
foreign-made jeans
and
walmart imported suits
thus
representing
america’s finest
home-grown puppets
handled
by puppeteers
wearing
stuard hughes
diamond editions suits
for
gardening
she said to the night
i’m alone now and frightened
the night’s voice whispered
age makes us feel alone but
it’s how life’s really traveled
