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Trash (poem)

By Dennis Serdel

Stan waited in line in the creepy drizzly cold rain
waiting to vote for his favorite rich man, who above all,
wanted his son to carry a weight on his back
and carry a rich man's gun in a holocaust called Iraq
Removed forward in the lines lies, but good people
trying to decide if they will vote for
Republican and Democrat trash.
Stan was finally at the table and they found his name,
then another table where he had to wait.
At least the people were warm now,
then they gave Stan his ballot and he stood alone in the booth
trying to figure out if he wanted to vote for
Republican and Democrat trash.
Stan was switching from one leg to the other for a long time
trying to decide which rich man would let a few pennies
trickle down to him or cut off welfare
and send jobs to China or stop the war
when they were making billions
and voting for Democrat and Republican trash
Make him have to be a Christian to live in the USA
and round up the gays and gas them
make elementary classes have a course how to breakdown
a M-16 and put it together.
Build walls and make it legal for minute men
to shoot Mexicans in a second
and voting for Republican and Democrat trash
Build walls around the blacks in the inner city ghettos
like they did to the Jews in Warsaw
Put huge crosses on the tops of our schools
on the top of the white house
on the top of the supreme court
and on top of the soldier's helmets
Outlaw evolution and outlaw abortion
and vote for Republican and Democrat trash.
So Stan ripped up his ballot and threw it on the floor
people looked up as he left the room
some with an I feel that way too.

- Dennis Serdel

[Reprinted from GI Special 7C14: 3.16.09]

From Peace Speaks From The Mirror

Vietnam 1967-68 (one tour) Light Infantry, Americal Div. 11th Brigade, purple heart, Veterans For Peace 50 Michigan, Vietnam Veterans Against The War, United Auto Workers GM Retiree, in Perry, Michigan