We were given just enough.
A flight ticket, a court date
And a small card the ugliest shade of green we had ever seen.
Already we were in dangerous hands
We were taught just enough.
America good, everyone else… bad
Pickett fences over barred wires
Blue collar over red necks
Then went home to buildings behind chain linked fences
to speak un-American languages
to our parents whose necks burned from the sun
We were shown just enough.
College is the only hope
Drown in debt and have them burry you with your diploma in hand
They can’t take it away from you
Whatever it takes, you must do
Master a sport, valedictorian, finesse till you make it out.
You and I were not supposed to make it
We accidentally broke the rules by following them to a T.
As published in Ritmo Que Late: An Anthology of Submissions during 2018 NAPOWRIMO by DWA Press.
Available for purchase at DWAPress.com