The Beauty of Children and the War Against the Poor - Efrim Manuel Menuck

Shift change at the county jail

Infertile vehicles disgorge

Piles of broken birds

And sheets of styrofoam

The weight of a cop-belt

Hung with guns and keys

An ant in a coffee mug

Slowly drowning

And soon this all will burn down

And soon we’ll all be trees

And soon we’ll all be emptied

And soon we’ll all be free

Dear sisters dear brothers

Dear gone but still near

Dear broken and falling

Dear panicked and dear

In this troubled world

There’s just two things that are sure

The beauty of children

And the war against the poor