Twenty Dollars At The Door
Until we commit ourselves to ensuring that the underclass is given justice and opportunity, we will continue to perpetuate the anger and violence that tears at the soul of this nation.
— Martin Luther King, April, 1968
The
The
legacy of civil rights
drowns in a glass of
Courvoisier
Courvoisier
during MLK weekend.
Its final gasp
of air muffled
of air muffled
by gyrating ass cheeks
clapping to the rhythm of
neo-plantation lullabies.
clapping to the rhythm of
neo-plantation lullabies.
Ten dollars in advance,
twenty dollars at the door;
the real cost: bits of one's soul
and slivers of ancestral DNA steadily
devolving into a nightmare
nobody believes is happening,
but is unfolding right before
our eyes.
I guess that's why so many folks have become
accustomed to looking away.
© 2014 abruvanamedsly
A strong poem that really packs a punch! Whew!
ReplyDeletewhew....smack it in the face....yes, we keep coming up with ways to distract ourselves...and make token holidays to the memory to give us a day off to have a bbq..or...
ReplyDeleteI specially like the ending ~ Maybe its because we can't handle it, so we just bury our heads in the sand ~ Gritty write ~
ReplyDeletepoems that strike at the truth have a savage power. They can also convict people. This is that type of poem.
ReplyDeleteExtremely powerful and intense write - thank you
ReplyDeleteI like the progression from generic anger into the specific at the end. The firs one was amazing.
ReplyDeletei found it wonderfully cynical
ReplyDeleteYes, and they will continue to look away. Nice closing to this piece.
ReplyDeletePamela