A Colossal Crisis

By Shawn Aveningo-Sanders

~ after Emma Lazarus, “The New Colossus”

 

When brazen towers fell, we wept in disbelief—
our great nation attacked upon her own shore.
We obeyed our leaders who hailed, “Shop More!
That’s how we’ll heal.” And we found some relief
in the stuff we hoarded, albeit the feeling brief.
We shop-till-we-drop, as credit card bills soar
so high, we can’t afford our child’s mortarboard.
Delusional and desperate, we elected the wrong chief—
unfit to save us from an enemy we can’t see.
Mr. Whipple whispers, “Secret stash on Aisle 3.”
The huddled masses, yearning to be free
of their germ-laden asses, in need of more TP,
racing toward wipes and the last shopping cart,
forgetting sage advice to stay six feet apart.

 


Shawn Aveningo-Sanders is the author of What She Was Wearing, an inspirational book of poetry/prose that reveals her #metoo secret—from survival to empowerment. Shawn’s poetry has appeared globally in over 150 literary journals and anthologies. She’s a Pushcart nominee, Best of the Net nominee, co-founder of The Poetry Box press, and managing editor for The Poeming Pigeon. Shawn is a proud mother of three and shares the creative life with her husband in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash.

Liberty Turns Her Back

A ghazal by Shawn Aveningo Sanders

 

Step on a crack; you’ll break your mother’s back.
Cross the border at midnight; they call you wetback.

Pick the apples, the nuts, the oranges from trees,
up down up down up down—such a strong back!

Share stories by the fire in your native tongue,
how it stirs such hatred, such ire—Go back

to your shithole country! they chant, they scream.
Your children can no longer dream; we take back

our promises. After all, it’s what Americans do best,
like taking from the Natives, and never giving back.

This behavior trickles straight down from the top,
learned from our leaders as they hoard their greenbacks.

Now, show us your papers or we’ll send you back.
No empty seats for Jesus. Not even in the back.

 

 


Shawn Aveningo Sanders started out as show-me girl from Missouri and after a bit of globetrotting finally landed in Portland, Oregon. She is a widely published poet whose work has appeared in more than 130 literary journals and anthologies. She’s a Pushcart nominee (2015), Best of the Net nominee (2017), co-founder of The Poetry Box, and managing editor for The Poeming Pigeon. A proud mother of three, Shawn shares the creative life with her husband in the suburbs of Portland.

Photo credit: William Marnoch via a Creative Commons license.