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i too want a president who has cried at night wondering where bread will come for their babies tomorrow a president who has leukemia addicted to crack and who goes days without eating lays on the concrete because a roof is unaffordable this president must outrun the voices in their head that tells them to eat rat poison my president must know the feel of a baton beating on their skull for not having money to enroll in Princeton or Harvard and being sentenced to perpetual poverty they must definitely have the wherewithal to spend 12 hours in line at the county office to fill out a five foot tall stack of forms to be considered to qualify for a monthly $225 benefit to pay for the mandatory American dream among other qualities this president must know the stench of a 5 day corpse with cracked ribs no hope who the system failed and blew off it will come in handy to know what it’s like to be called a bitch faggot slut wet back whore nigger spic camel jockey cracker and gook to feel their veins run cold on frightful nights of waiting in deserted bus stops being cat called by pimps with machine guns ready to claim and capitalize on your pussy and i want the president who will never forget that the boss are we the people who know what its like to live day and night under the above circumstances
* inspired by the great Zoe Leonard
stoic forehead tense
deep in thought
is he young
hunted for profit
of ego not
money or safety
we talk of
Daniel in den
lions retreat bites
the Lord spoke
now a smile
of some hope

oceans here underneath these alleyways so full of germs
Rollins bullies words of rage from throat to pavement
oceans of sounds around the block
in protest negotiations but more resounding the beating of her poisoned heart
oceans of trash needles and shit half eaten Whoppers for the pigeons to pick
and we shells buried in this sea of pretentious misery
her phone his jokes her looks his power
gun shells soul shells hard shells
city hall the giant clam no pearl
no grace no center
oceans we wade floating with no direction
SHAME ON THE LA CITY COUNCIL THREE YOU DO NOT REPRESENT ME
hot lava numbness
sifting sins of our fathers
ain’t got coins to pay
how
soon
please
will
the
Mattering
return
what
has
been
usurped
from
him


love knows no color
trees more tender than man’s heart
let’s open our minds

for today’s lesson
look in the mirror
and praise your spirit
in math class figure out how many smiles it takes to get you through the day
in philosophy ask not where did our giants go wrong but how can we usher their wisdom to the promised land and have them witness you building their home
in logic it goes without saying fight for your right to think for yourself otherwise no one will ever be free
in ethics and religion agree to disagree knowing that there is no perfection in humanity
and in politics the new world order is to be debated and cut open so tell me what you really see can AI really be the savior that they say it is
and when you’ve reached your elective class use art to create the hate and pain away
and after all your work is done class will be dismissed
so run out to the playing field and level it out with love and lots of elbow grease

