Poetry of Poverty in San Francisco

Latest

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Poverty lives abundantly in San Francisco
10,000 homeless call its streets home
1 in 4 children and 1 in 5 adults
Go to bed hungry
Malnourished
Somewhere in San Francisco
Nearly 16,000 families face hunger daily
A city of immense wealth
Shuffles over malnourished children
While on the other side of the world
Seven hundred years ago
In medieval Europe
Children and the poor
Filled the prisons
Because they could not pay taxes
In San Francisco
In the year 2013
Children and the poor
Fill the streets
Because they cannot
Find homes
The world’s wealthiest 100 people
Earned 240 billion dollars last year
Their wealth could end poverty
Four times over
No one owns our water, air and land
It is held in trust for all
The gap between rich and poor
Accelerates through miasmatic fog
Poverty lives abundantly in San Francisco
—Karen Melander Magoon

+ Articles by this author

Free to republish but please credit the People's Tribune. Visit us at www.peoplestribune.org, email peoplestribune@gmail.com, or call 773-486-3551.

The People’s Tribune brings you articles written by individuals or organizations, along with our own reporting. Bylined articles reflect the views of the authors. Unsigned articles reflect the views of the editorial board. Please credit the source when sharing: ©2024 peoplestribune.org. Please donate to help us keep bringing you voices of the movement. Click here. We’re all volunteer, no paid staff.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Featured

The Distortion of Campus Protests over Gaza

Helen Benedict, a Columbia University journalism professor, describes how the right wing has used accusations of anti-semitism against campus protests to distract attention from the death toll in Gaza.

Shawn Fain: May Day 2028 Could Transform the Labor Movement—and the World

UAW Shawn Fain discusses a general strike in 2028 and the collective power and unity needed to win the demands of the working class.

Strawberry Workers May Day March

Photos by David Bacon of Strawberry workers parading through Santa Maria on a May Day march, demanding a living wage.  Most are indigenous Mixtec migrants from Oaxaca and southern Mexico. 

Professor’s Violent Arrest Spotlights Brutality of Police Crackdown on Campus Protests

The violent arrest of Emory University Prof. Caroline Fohlin April 25 in Atlanta shows the degree to which democracy is being trampled as resistance to the Gaza genocide grows.

Youth in the Era of Climate Change

Earth Day is a reminder that Mother Earth pleads with us to care for her. The youth are listening, holding a global climate strike April 19. Although we are still far from reaching net zero emissions by 2050, it's time to be assertive with our world leaders for change will give our grandchildren a healthy Mother Earth and create a world of peace.

More from the People's Tribune