Adrienne Rich — Ballade of the Poverties

There’s the poverty of the cockroach kingdom and the rusted toilet bowl The poverty of to steal food for the first time The poverty of to mouth a penis for a paycheck The poverty of sweet charity ladling Soup for the poor who must always be there for that There’s poverty of theory poverty of swollen belly shamed Poverty of the diploma or ballot that goes nowhere Princes of predation let me tell you There are poverties and there are poverties There’s the poverty of cheap luggage bursted open at immigration Poverty of the turned head, averted eye The poverty of bored sex of tormented sex The poverty of the bounced check poverty of the dumpster dive The poverty of the pawned horn of the smashed reading glasses The poverty pushing the sheeted gurney the poverty cleaning up the puke The poverty of the pavement artist the poverty passed out on pavement Princes of finance you who have not lain there There are poverties and there are poverties There is the poverty of hand-to-mouth and door-to-door And the poverty of stories patched-up to sell there There’s the poverty of the child thumbing the Interstate And the poverty of the bride enlisting for war There is the poverty of stones fisted in pocket And the poverty of the village bulldozed to rubble There’s the poverty of coming home not as you left it And the poverty of how would you ever end it Princes of weaponry who have not ever tasted war There are poverties and there are poverties There’s the poverty of wages wired for the funeral you Can’t get to the poverty of bodies lying unburied There’s the poverty of labor offered silently on the curb The poverty of the no-contact prison visit There’s the poverty of yard-sale scrapings spread And rejected the poverty of eviction, wedding bed out on street Prince let me tell you who will never learn through words There are poverties and there are poverties You who travel by private jet like a housefly Buzzing with the other flies of plundered poverties Princes and courtiers who will never learn through words Here’s a mirror you can look into: take it: it’s yours. For James and Arlene Scully