Ode to DPW
You couldn’t wait
To clear the tents
And what you
Deemed junk off that
Stretch of sidewalk
Known as 17th st.
The pictures of
Our fallen were
Taken down and,
If not for those among
Us who refuse to take
Shit and to have folks
Take our shit,
Our altar with
The flowers
And rosaries
Would have been
Taken too
Of course our
Bones are buried
Deep in the ground
And our skin stripped
Of murals that live
In memory
But DPW guy,
You look a lot
Like me
In fact, you
Look like a
Guy who is
One paycheck
Away from a tent
Or one twitch or
Smirk away from
A bullet
DPW=dark person working
Trying to keep
Your shit while
Taking our
shit away
