previously published with Split This Rock
pardon our appearance
as we grow to better serve you
says the sign on the fence
and i wonder how the ‘you’
in that sentence
can mean both the young mother of three
carrying past
and me
is who they serve clear
is it up for debate
is it ever stated
it is widely accepted that
the police here do not
protect and serve everyone equally
and the schools aren’t too different
digging the pipeline
to drain the shit out of the way
of these new luxury condos
and the teens who grew up here
are told daily that they ain’t shit
ain’t gonna be shit
worthy of digging, planning, and pardoning our appearance for
while we redevelop
no
their development gets arrested
by the same school-to-prison pipeline
the same separate and unequal
the same united states, uncaring
and suspicious
bribed and malicious
way past the sequel
this story has been told on a continuous loop
for hundreds of years
different characters
same plot
different costumes
same shot
please pardon our appearance
as we grow
to better serve you
says the sign
letting us know we’re getting served
being handled
taken care of
______________
JBT 