"Would you give so that others may simply live?" I pause. But, ashamed of such a break in time, my guilty spine guides a hand to my breast coat pocket. Where my tan-leather wallet hides a ten dollar bill. Better make it twenty. I'd like to sleep tonight. God knows, (and I do too) too well, the score against white males. So, I pause. Better make it twenty. Hell bent on making Haiti's pain my own. Yet, for all the twisted limbs that surround me, all my eyes can see is de-inked and re-inked pulp. And so, my duty paid, my debt released, the wheels of my feet click back on their rusted track.
Rights & Access
This poem was submitted for the "Poetry for the Mind's Joy" project and is reproduced here with permission from the author. All rights reserved. Poetry for the Mind's Joy is Poet Laureate Kay Ryan's project that includes a community college poetry contest administered by the Community College Humanities Association and a lively videoconference.
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Ben Staisloff
Anne Arundel Community College, Arnold, MD
Faculty Advisor: Susan Cohen, English Department