SUTTER STREET 1989

I gazed out the window on a foggy SF day
Down from a seedy motel by the Tenderloin way
Watching the vultures circling and rolling by
As the low did try
To live a life of absolute despair
No hope no care
To have nor to share
How can you begin to imagine the life
Lived by the one born of strife
The burden of every second of being
The inside from the outside’s tendency
To burn and hurt and pick at the scab
Created by the stab
Of a needle
Into the skin that holds her in
Keeps her from falling apart into the incinerator
With the other trash
Which she has become
But how
How did she get here
I rest my head on my arm as I gaze down
And watch the predators’ circling around
As the children grabbed by the arm are dragged down
From the fun of the stoop
To sit in a room coop
Waiting for mom to return with some food
Please God not another dude
My spirit so buoyant and free
Feels the weight of sadness, death and disease
For empathy can sometimes be a curse
Feeling only the worst of the worst
Seeing the face of the beautiful girl
Destroyed by the cards dealt by the world
Seeing this man led by the bottle into the room
With only shame and relentless gloom
Watching from this window of mine
Seeing the thieves the swine
Steal the pathetic scraps from those with none
Who scarce remember the warmth of the sun
On their face
This place
Suddenly the world did move
My God! You’ve come to prove
The Truth! The Light! The Glorious Way!
For those of us held at bay
From the buffet
Of life
Of love
Find sure feet couldn’t be done
What to do? Be still? Run?
As quickly as it moved, it grew most silent
With clouds of dust shaken and spent
Over the emerging masses congregating on the street
Some of which did never before meet
Before this time of collapsing bridges and buildings
The sun’s light is waning
The electricity is feigning
The darkness envelops a city indeed
But who will take this city block and lead
That man led by the bottle emerges with a light
To guide lost souls in the swathing night
To safety steering past ill
Those would rob and steal
Look! Listen! The ho!
With the radio
All gather round to find out the scope
Of horror and damage and level of hope
But on this street at this time a great thing did occur
Living dead with respect hope did stir
With a purpose given
Life worth living
A daily earthquake prescription.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

All Aboard…. Is Rosie O’Donnell’s documentary on HBO about a cruise ship she chartered for 2000 gay and lesbian family members and it aired last night. I only saw it today as we had recorded it. I have to say that I was tearful through at least 80% of the film. I don’t know if it is something innately a part of who I am, how I’m wired or just simply what I believe through life experiences that are the driving force behind my feelings on this subject. Over and over as I saw loving parents care for their kids, overcome incredibly obstacles to fulfill their desire to nurture and raise children, it just revolved in my head – love is love is love. Isn’t there enough hate running rampant in this world? I mean, given the opportunity to allow love to flourish don’t you think as humans that is our goal? To allow love to dominate? I know that’s what Christianity is all about. I know that when presented to Jesus, he said that love was the most important thing. This cruise wasn’t a gay pride, ...
Read more
Post Easter Musings I’ve been thinking about this whole legalistic point of view the right has been taking on immigration. And the thing that keeps getting stuck is how they (the hate radio guys) keep saying repeatedly that they want to get the guys that “cut in line” that “jumped in front of everyone else who is going through the process”. Now, believe me, I hate cutters. I have always hated cutters. There’s an entitlement issue there that really leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I have no problem, none whatsoever, in letting people who cut know that it is not acceptable. But let’s switch tracks here. Cody fell down the stairs at school. He was in a lot of pain and after calling his pediatrician, I was instructed to go to the emergency room. We went in. I spoke to reception. I filled out paperwork. I elevated his foot. Got him something to drink. Went into the triage nurse, got vitals, went back into the waiting room. Filled out more paper work. And sat. And sat. X came with loud...
Read more
This is from the site : www.gopauctionhouse.org Pretty revealing stuff..... How The GOP Auction House Hurts You Health Care Under Republican rule, millions more Americans have gone without health insurance, even as health care costs continue to skyrocket. The Republican Medicare bill, which barred Medicare from bargaining for lower prices, kept re-importation from Canada illegal, and punishes seniors with an enrollment cost hike for every year they do not sign up, also provides for an estimated $139 billion in windfall profits for the big drug companies. And despite minimal savings for seniors, it puts the federal budget in the red as far as the eye can see. The Medicare bill is the perfect demonstration of how the Republican Culture of Corruption comes at a cost to the American people every day. $139 Billion in Windfall Profits for the Pharmaceutical Industry Blocks Medicare from Collective Bargaining for Lower Prices Prevents Re-importation from Canada "The Medicare drug benefi...
Read more