BLUE-forgiveness
forgiveness
i see them everyday
everywhere i am
with their lives
strapped onto their backs
onto their bikes
packed into stolen grocery
carts with hungry animals
leashed and pulled behind them-
i see them every day
and want to feed them
give them money
give them a drink of water
give them some hope
give them same brotherhood
hold them in my arms
shower the with blessings
and love…but i can’t because
i am one of them
and my life is packed
and strapped and pulled
along behind me every day
and everyday we’re stealing sugar
stealing fruit and salt
and we are hungry for brotherhood
hungry for the arms of anyone
to hold us and tell us the truth
tell us why after fighting for peace
fighting for freedom and the pursuit
of happiness for us all…
we really-really want to know
and want to be more than homeless
more than invisible and hopeless
and want to feel like we still belong
somewhere to someone for something
but we can’t even get a word of kindness
can’t get even a good morning
can’t even get a dime outside a church
can’t get a job, a place to rest our weary
war torn bodies without being chased away,
shunned or attacked and arrested…
everyday…everywhere we are
every time we look around
and we see how we are
and beg for forgiveness
for becoming what we’ve become….
ii
and when it rains we get wet
and we get filthier and we are
soaked to the bone…huddle
under bridges and overpasses
squat in doorways of abandoned
buildings in our filthy hoodies
dirty jeans and broken tennies
we get wet and we get sick
and somebody always dies
and their animals howl
at the world then starve to death.
and there are few places to hide
where people don’t chase you away…
dirty! filthy! unclean…get away!
and when you’re cold and wet
it’s easy to become enraged
when you are only trying to survive
trying to keep from slashing
your wrists or jumping in front
of a moving train like bobby did
but hunger and rage keeps you alive
because it takes to much energy.
so hope comes in bottle form
courage from a point a paper
and a pill…and it’s only then
that we can bury our dead
bury our rage and bury everything
but our courage to survive.
iii
raven stuck his head out
from under my hat…looked around
hey buddy they cut down my tree
destroyed my nest and scattered
my family
he was filthy and some of his feathers
were missing…he limped out
looked behind his back
hey buddy they were trying to kill me
they chased me with clubs
while i was eating a rotting fish
they kids threw stones at me
let’s kill it! they screamed
while their fathers laughed
and helped them find the rocks
blood was caked on a wound
on the ravens neck
hey buddy
can i stay under your hat
i’m scared and hungry
and now i’m nestless
hey buddy
can you spare a bit of flesh
