detroit sketch #1 (for m.l.)
looking closely i now see the chevys fords chryslers
lining these streets like paupers standing in soup lines
years ago everyone really did still believe in this.
they bought the cars. they embraced history. they sacrificed.
they were devoted followers. not a cult but invested,
so they thought. learning love is not always reciprocal
& adam smith is not around to explain anything.
there are no invisible hands seen around here anymore
that is except for hands that once pulled levers.
in detroit my korean import does not get keyed
this is the dead folklore; david halberstam writer prophetic.
as i look again at these chevys fords chryslers
lining these streets like paupers standing in soup lines
i finally make sense of this love gone bad
we are the 21st century; the epoch of wi-fi.
assembly lines are now full of phones, pads, robots
there are no invisible hands seen around here anymore
that is except for hands that once pulled levers.
About the Poet:
Brian Gilmore is a Washington DC poet and writer. He currently teaches social justice law at Michigan State University. His latest book is, “We Didn’t Know Any Gangsters” (Cherry Castle Publishing LLC), a 2015 Hurston-Wright Award nominee.
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