Sometimes an anthem can feel like a funeral march when the song once about spacious skies becomes about The Great Divide. Being jovial feels safe and good and being a kind of Paul Revere feels like admitting truth. Life is both.
This American Dream
now becomes a scream
about the homeless
might be any of us this —
unwinding nightmare’s
serpentine line of tents there
in back to back village living —
nothing more for loan forgiving
hand to hand about-face
with no age, no title, no race
to the top; crushed to the bottom
where comfy people forgot ‘em
once past the scene —
the homeless camp’s obscene
gritty truthful reveal
where nothing is to steal
when nothing is much there
after officials rotely swear
oaths pledging allegiance
to better serve their regions
in this American Dream
whatever that can mean
to whole families in camps
lit by passing headlamps
lining frantic freeways
of This American Dream.
~~ djl July 4th, 2023
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I believe it was the new Mayor of San Francisco or Los Angeles that proclaimed getting rid of homelessness by using underused hotels and motels. I wonder if that will work. Most homeless people need a lot more than just a place to sleep with a roof over their heads. They need lots of counseling and support so that they can either get back on their feet or at least be comfortable as they deal with their demons under expensive psychiatric care.
Ron