Despite it all.
The heat of the summer
that begins in March
and vanishes at Thanksgiving
The arctic blast that freezes
pipes and kills innocent
flowers
The mosquitoes that sting
snakes that poison
scorpions that burn
Despite the bravado of fat
bellied politicians who
never took a city bus
to work
never went hungry to
pay the electric bill
never had the wrong accent
or color of skin
Despite the blistered landscape
hoping for a good wind
to carry it to
Florida
The bathwater that pours
hot when you turn on cold
and smells of sulfur but
looks like iron
The downpour that seizes
control over highways
lifts up houses and cattle
reclaiming them for Mexico
Despite all this
they have the guts to stay
but not to leave.
-Paul Bright ©2016
Paul Bright Films 