“THINE ALABASTER CITIES GLEAM”

In the land of delusion and denial

latch key kids

roam pioneer malls searching for

frontiers of their own

Graying war vets move out again

wearing white laced sneakers

in platoons of twos and threes

dodging landmines of spit

and wads of gum

Half eaten cheeseburgers

and pizza crusts

overflow trash bins onto

linoleum prairies littered

with crumpled dreams

These domed centers of humanity

shield new age marketplaces

of glittering chain stores and eateries

from the whims of nature

for those who hoard the plenty

And outside their walls, beneath the bridges,

in tenement buildings, along shabby streets,

hungry and abandoned children

of the great republic crouch hungry,

empty-handed, waiting for their ration

of the amber waves of grain

“America! America!…”