morning petitioning notes

three iron rangers from minnesota
.....i noticed their t-shirts
from towns just down the road
from our former hardscrabble homestead
nashwauk
a bend in the road not far from the continental divide
now here in pittsburgh
for a steelworkers meeting
bitter about nafta & cafta
worried about their children/grandchildren
country’s crash.....has arrived

yesterday’s papers gave out
a glimpse of fundamental corruption
misappropriation of public funds
to squash ballot access in pennsylvania
for greens & independents

yet the iron rangers we’re split
on how to reject outright
things as they are
yet still safely bury
one’s most inner beliefs
conforming matching pragmatic resignation
sacrifice to the void
of self-censorship

--- e b bortz

ego is considered rational

narrow/personal
(don’t believe it goes beyond that)
self-interest
might be the dirtiest
word
of any language

it’s got us where we’re at
whoopee

id is gone
long live the id

--- e b bortz

(published in The City Poetry, Fall 2008)