Ohio
A shitty motel
Worried about bedbugs
The phantom itching of fears
The lipstick on a pig of a renovated flop house
While the rain pours down through dawn’s meager light
Watching hope drain away on tv
One state at a time
The phantom fears of bitter disappointment
Wondering what dissident means in an American oligarchy
A country of inequality enshrined in court and law
That respects neither
They lost because they believed in science
They lost because they were of color
They lost because they were a woman
I see a headline that says America has changed
And I can’t help but feel that the only thing that has changed
is that the veneer has been stripped away
This is not a country based on freedoms
Those are the lies told to ourselves to sleep at night
Like Santa Claus or recycling that works
This is a country that has returned to its roots
A land founded by religious extremists pilgrims
Not Pilgrims fleeing persecution
But pilgrims seeking freedom to persecute
One of our earliest cultural memories
Burning women at the stake
A country built on the back of theft,
genocide,
slavery,
and broken promises
And then arming ourselves to the teeth
to protect against the coming retribution
Even if it costs us our children
Choosing once was folly
Choosing twice was choice
Driving through Michigan the day before
the signs were all for her
While in Ohio, it was all for him
Melissa says “do you really hate me that much,”
a cry into the dark
Alyssa says “I want to come with you to the UK,”
only half in jest.
Susan says “ don’t forget about your promise from the last time”
referring to marriage and having a plan
Sarah says “I don’t know how anyone can vote for her.”
And I wonder if I know her at all
Driving through Kansas
and then Tennessee the day after
all the signs are gone
Like tokens of shame
and guilt
Hidden away in the night
the evidence of a hate crime
And nobody seems happy in the gas stations and restaurants
In a country that never keeps its word.
Word Outlet 