I wanna live

I said
I don’t wanna look at your factories, your prisons,
your silos,
your cornfields,
I wanna live

I said
I don’t wanna see dead deer slung across the hoods of rusty pick up trucks
swinging from trees like offerings to the Gods of NASCAR
or listen to complaints about the cost of doe permits this year
I wanna live

I said
I don’t wanna be laughed at for reading books
for writing stories, for having an informed opinion
for dreaming out loud
I wanna live

I said
I don’t wanna be stuck thinking big thoughts in a small place
running in place
losing my place
I wanna live

I said
I don’t want your babies, your electric blue Camaro with T-tops or your STD's
your porch full of empty Bud cans
your homemade crooked ass naked girl jailhouse tattoos
I wanna live       

I said
I don’t want Taco Bell to be the most exotic food I’ve ever eaten
to have a career as a sandwich artist at Wendy’s
to yearn for a mauve living room suite from Rent-A-Center
I wanna live   

I said
I don’t want food stamps to be my currency of choice
to hold up the line tearing off WIC coupons
to cash my ADC check at the Amoco Station
I wanna live   

I said
I don’t want to steal Christmas presents from the shelter again
to shoplift tampons from Kmart
or pray to God the cashier doesn’t see the milk stashed under the cart
I wanna live      

I said
I don’t want to think life begins at the factory at five am
working twelves seven in a row
and ends slumped and slackjawed in front of a staticky TV
I wanna live    

I said
I don’t want to go to tractor pulls or demolition derbies
or mud bogging or bar hopping
or deer shining at three am
I wanna live   

I said
I don’t wanna see football heroes selling used cars,
used up cheerleaders washing dishes at the nursing home
to see the Prom Queen win Stripper-of-the-Year and a coke habit
I wanna live      

I said
I don’t wanna choose between rent and food, food and electricity,
counting out bottles and pennies
for gas to get to a job when my car probably won’t make it anyway 

I wanna live
I said
I don’t want to die here
like all of you
nothing like you

no better than you

I wanna live
I said.

Comments

[peppylady]

Some ways I have personal experience some of these things but not to grand scale of some.

I found you blog in blog search.

[Staci]

Again, you go girl.

I really can't think of anything better to respond to this. In fact, I contemplated even responding at all. What could I possibly add? Then, I decided, by responding I was adding my friendship, my devotion, my heart. To you.

[Xymotic]

no being excited to meet all the new people in 9th grade that went to the privet schools, no "the water made it past the top white ring this year", no train tracks that lead to no mans land, no people riding down Meijer's hill, no people that use the term Meijer's Hill in giving directions, no changing of direction circling the same block for weekend entertainment, no sitting in front of a tow truck business all week night long, no thinking it is cool that you got a ride home from the cool cop on the force, no basement band union turned reunion turned tour practice turned band break up, no knowing the trick to getting on the roof of the middle school, and last but not least: No "Free" fair midway smell on a muggy summers eve

This tragedy screams for a comedy for a sequel.