The word was watered down
and with it the minds,
so went the politics,
coasts and the wine.
it weakens to dawning
down then to dust
seems like it settles
too well in its rust
which gathers around it
on all but its lap
its gotten most of us
but it ain’t got our lust
heard a story last Friday
drinkin’ beer on a stoop
guy took a small girl
to put her head in a loop
in a cheap room’s bathroom
like in the movies
but we don‘t here have heroes,
still that ended well.
guess his mind got to him
some time in the night
and he left her alone
in the orange motel light.
now the cops got ‘em
they’ll kill him, they think
but isn‘t he all of us
pushed to the brink?
asks a good priestess
who’s priesthood’s denied
despite a life’s work
for a blood of her line
but not in that way
not about DNA, I said
its about studying Jesus,
to say what he’d say
and do what he’d do
when the words are spoke,
to work and to clean,
make sure they’re not broke.
but then to do that,
she said in reply,
you’ll need to dismantle
all the rules of the sky.
all that would require
is a few well placed hits,
I said from my spire,
unwritting it’s brinks.
now they need a trillion
to watch it go down
don’t doubt what I’ll do–
take care and god willing
ill write many letters
if the post survives through
if not, watch your betters
but maybe its nothing
I’m up well past two
as I write this out
so I’ll point out a clue.
its about family
and not just your kin
we need healthcare
no rhyme–
the people are sick,
that’s not a metaphor
dude sewed his own skin
skipped the charge at the door
E Martin Nolan is currently finishing an MA in the Field of Creative Writing at the University of Toronto, where he has studied with Rosemary Sullivan and Dionne Brand, among others. His poems deal with specific social justice issues, but they also deal with issues related to how we deal with social justice issues.