But She Can Still Hear

I tried your national pride

Spent every cent till I quit for lent

Dabbled in your meritocracy

Till I realized the hidden fees

Of privilege and more privilege

Which only drove me out to the ledge

Suicidal from poverty that you can’t even pin on me

Poor people need to stop being poor

Need to boot strap for all their more more more

Remodeled kitchens and country club memberships

Ivy league tuitions and never sweating a twenty percent tip

I even tried your Christianity

Till I realized those hidden fees

Wouldn’t trade hating all those other others for my sanity

Wouldn’t embrace your misogyny with arms open

Couldn’t swallow your homophobia, despite all that hopin’

And praying to an anthropomorphic god more jealous than I

Just can’t abide, slide, explain away

My conscience, like war, what is it good for?

My money’s on the table and my bet’s on man

But not on uncle sam

He took me out back behind the shed years ago

His nudie mags and cheap alceehol he did show

But when I passed out he took his turn

And now my life is a slow burn

Down to the ashes of the cigarettes causing cancer

And the opioids that can’t kill the pain I cause her

Lady justice I mean

She’s blind you know, so they robbed her

But she can still hear