People's Tribune: Here Come

Here come the judge again,
as if the poor and homeless
werent criminalized enough.

Here come the paramilitary Court
to make sure the streets are swept
of every bit of spontaneous life,

of every walking finger crying out,
JACCUSE: youve already picked
our pockets and drummed it into

societys weak brains that were
the sickies, not the system,
were the alkies, not the profitguzzling

drunkards of black gold,
were the junkies, not those
gunmen of lawn order who wanna

mow down what little green is left.
Were the beggars, can you spare
some REAL change, we mean change

thatll do away with the violence
of your fix on lucre, on saving
the dying carcass of capitalism

at any cost, and begin to burn with
the fire of collective care.
Were the homeless, we dont need

your half-assed reforms that sick
more cops on our punishing suffering.
We dont need your poisoned band-aids

or the lie that were sicker than you.
Were the homeless. Well never vanish
until you change the way money rules,

and you wont, you cant, but we can
and will, and thats why we say to your
new criminalization: Youre arrested

before you even begin hauling one of us
before your kangaroo court; youre
nipped in the bud by our truth.

Jack Hirschman, Poet Laureate,San Francisco