This poem was read by my longtime friend, Casey, at a protest today against the way Oakland is treating her and its other 9,000+ homeless. (Yes, 9,000 is the bottom approximate estimate, not 2,000, based on the city's own research back in 2015).
She requested a poem, and described the topic at length; I happened to have, by slightly unnerving coincidence, a nearly perfect fit. In revising, I removed the former subtitle ("In which the triumph of Good is assumed") – given the recent United Nations report, which listed the City of Oakland, California as next to last anywhere on Earth for its deplorable treatment of the homeless, I thought that was inappropriate.
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| my poem was read at this #oakmtg – but not by me. |
Thank you Case. I hope it helped.
catching a glimpse of Evil, a warning
by johanna faust
i could be you just as easily – you
could be me just as well –
we could be through with this misery
we could have done with this hell
each one of us already knows how
and, even though some of us don't understand --
the pretended ignorance shows,
now -- we can see all such traitors are damned
if ever you get like me beat down & frightened
overwhelmed, overcome by the fear
that maybe the world can’t be made right
in enough time — to avert what is near
and then -- as if on cue -- to save you from despondence
at long last -- no, not even a bell
remember please our correspondence
so that this won’t be a so you’d expect me to tell
springing eternal, confused we confide
in sight seen nearly more likely than far
more into it talking of taking a side
than they can tell "ser" apart from "estar"
because those who refuse to be saved
have been Evil -- well, all along --
take a proud satisfaction depraved
in choosing senselessly yet to do -- wrong....
a new revision for casey to change the world a little — october 22 2018
Be seeing you.
