LISTEN AMERICA
By Donald Whitehead
Sit down America, lend me your ear
I have a little story that I want you to hear
A story of desperation, starvation and pain
A story of deceit, of values gone insane
The story was once about old men who roamed the nation’s rails.
Now it’s about young women and little girls with pigtails
The steamy plot grows thicker with every passing day
Many become characters, without a thing to say
These new characters live under bridges in cars that never run
In houses made of cardboard,,baking in the sun
Our elected officials are the writers, adding new chapters with every passing day
Carving into big spenders, saying what they’re told to say
It could be a mystery called “Where has the Housing Gone”
But we must call it a tragedy called “The Lie Continues On”
The villains are as plain as day.
They’re the people we elect to pave the way
The ones whose conscience has been bought and tucked away.
This story about people that have no place to call home as they begin growing old
Is written by men who wear trousers that. Have pockets lined in gold!!
Copyright Homeless Grapevine, Issue #16, Cleveland, OH