In the Green Onion Fields
In the green onion fields
Children too poor to go to school
Get their education
Work under the sun
Dirt on their faces
Dirt on their fingernails
Dirt on their clothes
The schooling is harsh
Their wages are low
The employer gets rich
Sends his kids to private school
Clean clothes, new shoes
Clean faces, clean fingernails
Take every diced onion
Out of their scrambled eggs
Stepping Out
There is nothing sadder
than wearing the clothes
you wore when you were
once in love. Dying
inside you think of her
as you remove your
socks, pants, underwear,
and shirt. Stepping out
of your shoes you feel
like a new person,
but just for a moment.
Not At All Insignificant
The church bell could be heard
from Temple to Broadway, like
the belching could be heard from
the same distance. He won a trophy
in college for that and the feat was
not at all insignificant. He beat out
dozens of belchers in a contest for
the ages. Capitalism did not take
kindly to his talent. His eyes are sad
looking. Each teardrop from his eyes
are worth a thousand smiles for death,
which seeks to take his existence
away. He will never be rich. He has
lived a hard life. Someone else is
living his dream. Someone else is
living an easier life or at least it appears
like they are. So many years have
passed. He is not a servant to this
life, not even a guest, he is more like
a doormat. The church bell wakes him
and his prayers are never answered.
His best years were wasted more or
less. Life is beautiful, isn’t it? This is
what he thinks to himself. This is what
he believes. He failed at so many things.
All he ever longed for was love. In
the streets he sleeps. His dream is
still alive. He remembers the face
of the love he lost. He often thinks of
her. The church’s gargoyle is his lone
confidant. Nothing he shares with it
will be repeated. Things get better
now and then. He is in need of new
shoes and a pair of socks. Someone
will help him. Someone who cares.
Life was supposed to be different
before everything changed. He was
born for greater things. He knows
he was someone once. He is now
someone else and that can still change.
No comments:
Post a Comment