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I.
You
with your smog fog
blinding us into a dark corner
of a sunny paradise
where UV rays extend
an invitation.
II.
At night, it is the only time we hear when the island trees puff.
If it is light that watches and sings in delight at the wealth thrown around
then does it sound freeing?
But, did you see the men in the corner waiting for work
waiting to jump in the back of that pickup truck,
gloom floats above their expectations
In reality it’s a race
between church and state
letting them choose who eats and who goes hungry.
III.
Then there’s the beginning. We hear the water, waves crashing, calming
a new sensation, brashly begging for attention
birds chanting
doesn’t it all sound liberating
But, do you hear that?
Our mothers gritando en español
about the American Dream,
about how rainbows are born
and how luck has everything to do with it.
IV.
We feel the shore on our rough skin
slipping away like runaway heartbeats
anticipating easy streets
boardwalks with soft serve fantasies of sand castles.
But, do you taste that?
Salt in the air tangs like blood on my tongue
slithering
across my cheek as you snake your way through life
claiming we have stolen opportunities
you didn’t even want.
V.
You
with your flashing lights
blinding us
into a dark corner
of a sunny paradise
photograph us into extinction.