"Niceland" poem read by Lee Bob Black

http://www.LeeBobBlack.com

"Niceland"

when I hear you speak like
that,
it makes me think that you
dont know me, that you
dont want me to
feel exactly and intensely what Im actually feeling
at this goddamn moment,
but instead
you want me to exist
in some kind of
everythings-okay-world
where there are no late fees
and the subways arent
jammed with junkies or yelling Holy Joes
and we always have enough
time and energy in the morning
before work
for loud rigorous sex

But theres an Idiot In Chief
in the White House
and millions of us are behind
some eight ball that we
cant see
and barely any of us
have friends who
have quality fulfilling relationships
with their parents

And one of the main reasons
there isnt enough time
for authentic love
--let alone real romance--
is that our lives are padded
with Crucial Transient Things
And
Insignificant Yet Essential Tasks
That Paradoxically Must
Be Done
And Eaten
And Purchased
because if we dont conform then
were just labeled bums
or unfocused
or wastes of space

What I want to know is,
when did
the words
slow and quiet
become negative?

[Poem written by Lee Bob Black. Read by Lee Bob Black, NYC, Nov 2008.]
[For the record, the Idiot In Chief referred to in the poem is George W. Bush.]

http://www.LeeBobBlack.com

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