poem of the day 09.21.09

they know

the girls singing bad gospel songs on the late train,
they know.

the two women blocking dozens of us
from getting down the subway steps,
they know.

the men who almost ran me down on 45th street today,
one checking his cell phone, the other texting a friend,
they know.

the mexican drug cartels, lining up addicts and killing them
in treatment clinics in juarez,
they know.

the politicians denying this and preventing that,
they know.

the dumb people watching television, or sitting in
movie theaters,
they know.

the temperate,
they know.

the religious and self-righteous,
they know.

the teachers and the taxman, and the guy using
his buzz saw, early on a saturday morning,
they know.

people who wear sunglasses inside,
they know.

dog owners and young couples with kids,
they know.

the red-faced armies of protestors and petition hawkers
hanging around on both sides of the fence,
they know.

and the woman who begs change off of me
on 4th avenue, everyday,
she knows too.

they all know
something
they all know something
that i don’t
and i’ll be damned
if i ever let them
tell me.