baltimoreblackwoman

April 23, 2020

1:30 pm

They say the economy is
Broken.

Thousands wait

in bread lines,
unemployment lines,

at home – searching
for their elusive
stimulus check –
a paltry sum.

While millionaires
line their pockets
already overflowing
with money made
off the backs of

workers who wait

in bread lines,
unemployment lines,

at home – searching
for their elusive
stimulus check –
a paltry portion of
the money made
off the backs of

workers who wait.

Entrepreneurs leap
into the breach,

Selling their latest novelty,
Fashionable Covid-19 gear:

Face masks and coverings
in every color, style, and
design imaginable –

flags and flowers,
skulls and dragons,
lovers of books
and music –

Take your pick!

For only $19.99
plus shipping and handling,
you, too,
can wear your (our) brand
to make your stand
against The Virus

while you stand

in the bread line,
in the unemployment line,
or by your mailbox,

waiting for your paltry share
of this so-called
broken economy.

Meanwhile,
as I wander through
my tattered home,
like Scarlett
in her Tara,

my Lawn Service guy
wonders why

I’m too broke to
give my lawn
its first trim
of the season.

“I’ve got more bills to pay
than money,”

I reply.