at 5:37 p.m. the smell of
bacon and fabric softener
covers the neighborhood
like 4 a.m. London fog

so many lies and angers
and injustices and tears
and hungers and losses

in one city block
but the smiles, oh
those immutable smiles
and the hope in the paper sacks

dog shit by the fichus trees

is the city’s way of welcome

but the carnival in the hearts

and the corn fed regimes in mind

cannot and will not tear

them down

angst, terror and hate

has become a child’s game

the roses are not free

but they are in juan v’s

can along the window

rotten with defeat

it is no longer enough

to wave the right flags

blood sacrifice one son

to the blue coats and one the

the Vat

no we have become

smarter than you

and we will not

lay down to the east

or to the west

but resign to be

free in the window

in the door

in our spirit

and in the mind