Legislators debate my worth while you build yours.
Because we take our stands in different lands-
yours, the land of opportunity.
And mine, the land seeking relief from misery.
We stand side by side.
One of us sees birds, blue skies and trees.
I watch the white wall in front of me.
Aisles of choices.
Run in circles on an island of none.
You have access, you slide the card.
I wont try; i already know what time it is.
Nightmares follow me during the daytime- homelessness. emergency. destitution whispers in my ear.
Nightmares cant catch you in your sleep, you rest your head on guaranteed promises.
Have you searched the endless lines of cars far from home, late at night?
Dont you find what you’re looking for at your front door?
Half a dozen strangers- their eyes and ears, sights and fights pull the dawn in a race against time and sleep.
You chase Joy and contentment between pages as they possess your wakefulness.
I chase my dreams on freeways and train stations, opportunities don’t come by the bus stop.
family time.
on the clock.
say yes to all the wrong questions.
De-stress, brain-dead.
Refresh, energized.
Pretend to be homeless for a week,
while the AC floods your time share.
You study it all and observe in your words and feel at home in your lighted space- no theory unfamiliar.
Study the numbers on faces and screens, another home among a sea of washing machines and broken fans.
My life is broken down,
Excelled into spreadsheets.
graphs chart my path.
Legislators debate my worth while you build yours.
Discomfort with comforts –
my chipped glass is someone else’s chalice.
We look in the mirror and see what we want to see, the similarities.
I dont know what to say for shame, the things are not as they appear.
Critically examine, analyze and strategize, theorize,
what About them.
Somehow i slipped in- pushed thru this door.
And through the cracks
I dont belong- what am i?
an impostor.
Where am i?
Losing my way.
Everyone knows the rules and plays the game.
Look in your book-
I am those words on your pages.
A mountain of things i wont learn.
But an ocean of things you wont see.
A world you cant understand.
Because we take our stands in different lands-
yours, the land of opportunity.
And mine, the land seeking relief from misery.
Not The Time and Place 