My sympathies are naturally with the homeless and unemployed,
I’ve read statistics that
girls in unstable homes are
more likely to be raped,
or to run away which equals raped.
Boys are not immune to trouble, you know–
they’re more likely to join a gang,
drop out of school, use drugs, or attempt suicide.
Exactly my point, Mr. Mayor.
I’m running a children’s summer camp
here on city land. My families are not comfortable
driving their cars past tents
filled with boisterous kids
and parents who give us surly looks.
When we told our clients to expect discoveries
and adventures and learning and joy,
this is not what we had in mind.
It’s not fair, Mr. Mayor. Not fair.
—–
Trish Saunders is a Honolulu poet and nonfiction writer who becomes
visibly agitated when observing the widening gaps between poverty and wealth in Hawaii.
