a life for a dollar

They told me, before I came,
that life is superior in America.
Those days when I have my thoughts fixed on the money,
the almighty green dollar;
 nothing else seems to matter any more.
I lost autonomy when my feet graced New York

I Spent days in a county jail
while searching for the man I used to be,
four different times I was there.
Metal doors clanging shut
squeezed tears from a grown man’s eyes,
and thoughts winged their way through time
 to find blacks in a cotton field.

Hearts, in this place,
 Can be as hard as a brick.
Callous reigns from the kingdoms of marred consciences,
making the world numb from a single stance.

I’ve dragged myself “home” again,
where a lion is a mouse,
and a fat woman sits on a bed
 eating her life away; she is ruthless.

This time is the last time,
this time I will stay subdued;
I will wait, tolerantly,
 for the card to my freedom.
The green card to free will.
God bless America.