T.A.N.J.

By Aileen McPherson

It’s my day to say, What the frell!?!

Society, where did we go wrong?

When did we allow community to breakdown?

Why do we fear our city protectors?

We elected the governing officials, how they disguise

criminalizing lives, while cheating, thieving, draining resources.

Orchestrating separation, with classes formed,

boundaries are created through economic oppression.

By way of excluding anyone who does not meet the criteria,

set by those placed in authority, giving them the means to be exclusionary.

It’s my bleeding right to yell, as sciatics nauseate system structures,

the organic machine Screams in agony, as priority functions are blocked,

due to shutdowns designed to protect the machine.

Many mornings I cry, as the sunrise I watch climbs around Mt. Hood

reminding me, I am thankful for a comforter on the floor, a propane heater

to warm our room, healthy foods to eat, and doctors who treat

with compassion and grace.

With my heart and mind torn around the geopolitics surrounding advocacy,

it makes me vehement when atrocities are allowed in

the name of the Law.

I am a criminal for being homeless, and

as my husband once said,T.A.N.J.!!!

“There Ain’t No Justice!”

He’s right, especially when you have no stable financial resources.