poem of the day 08.05.11

work

we may not have wanted to
but back then i knew a lot
of other teenagers who had jobs

some of us worked the mall

others did the fast food route

many brave souls cut
lawns in the summer heat

the point is, there weren’t
many handouts to go around
from the parents

now, i know times
are tough these days

jobs are scarce

and with the idiots
that we have running things

times are bound to get tougher

and i’m the last guy
to advocate for employment

but tomorrow morning
if those teenagers
are sitting on that stoop

with nothing to do
but smoke cigarettes in the sun

toss another butt at my legs
pretending that it’s an accident…

well, i’m going to have
no choice but to put them to work

one by one or all at once

even if it kills me.