Poetry
On June Teenth, roses are left on fence surrounding burial ground for enslaved people in St. James, Louisiana on land where a petrochemical complex is being built. Communities in the area, “Cancer Alley,” have a high rate of cancer and continue to fight these companies.
Photo / Follow juliedermansky.com
Photo / Follow juliedermansky.com
Dear Friends,
On these pages are poems the People’s Tribune has published over the years. Enjoy! To submit a poem for consideration, please contact us at peoplestribune@gmail.com
— The Editors
Poems
Being a Wow
Being a Wow
Oh yes we are!We run the world.Men’s good ideasCame from us.We own it!Men hate it.They keep us down,Well, they try.We birth the...
poor Jesus
poor JesusGregory Pond
at midnight mass, the pope proclaimed“God is poor, let charity be reborn”but doesn’t he already knowthe savior of which he speaksalready sleeps...
Dissent: an anthology to end war and capitalism
Civil Disobedience as Literature- a Review of Dissent: an anthology to end war and capitalism, edited by Mark Lipman, Vagabond, 2023
That we exist in...
Pray for
I pray for peacefor war to ceasefor kids to breathefor love’s increase
I pray for youthfor guns to trucefor hate to losefor freedom, too
I pray...
Who?
Who?D.L. Lang
Who will be leftto care for the elderlyafter all the doctorshave donned uniforms?
Who be left in your congregationafter you have deceivedyour faithful adherentsinto...
Don’t Cop Out
Don't Cop OutBy James Norman
I don't use the word unhoused,which pretends it's something weare sorting out.
maybe this linguistic choice has todo with the lack...
If I Could Rule the World
If I could rule the world for only a daychange the course of human events to go the other way.A life of love, what...
Razor Wire – Pogrom Ready
Razor wire like “freedom”Was designed to rip the assesOf the poor and underclasses.
Razor wire outshines napalmAllays all anxiety and doubtThe affluent kept safe the...
The Chicago Garden
The Chicago GardenBy Kathy Powers
On April FourthThe poll gates openedOnto fragrant landscapesOf life-giving blooms.
Hopes for the houselessStuck up some shoots;Reasons for livingSmiled over...
Holy Week 2023
Holy Week 2023
By Adam Gottlieb
On the full moon in April80 years since Warsaw40 since Harold WashingtonIn the middle of Ramadan
On the night before PassoverWe...
Chance Meeting
I heard my name called on noisy Market Stit was a woman I know from Occupy dayswho used to play drumsin a lot of...
poor Jesus
Poor Jesusat midnight mass, the pope proclaimed“God is poor, let charity be reborn”but doesn’t he already knowthe savior of which he speaksalready sleeps on...
Enough
PreambleNo one should go unhomed.There is plenty.If we work toward balance,There is enough.Balance does not occur without struggle.If you were ever a child who...
Poem for peace
Poem for peace
Is there any poetry to be found in the war in Ukraine?Will poets write poems about the Ukrainian War spreading to Europe,Asia,...
Note To Editor
Dear Editor,
I have one request to you and all the legislative leaders.
Stop opining and pontificating about gun violence.
Just play a repeated loop of the...
My Body Bag
Woman describes her 40 years with severe bipolar symptoms, years in psychiatric hospitals, later adopting advocacy as her therapy.
‘The Walking Man:’ Beloved Homeless Man Set on Fire
Beloved homeless man in Chicago was doused with a flammable liquid and set on fire while sleeping.
Be
For the people of Ukraine and Russia who don’t stand
to profit from this war.
Heroes are born from dirt and struggle
They bleed red through interconnected veins
to profit from this war.
Heroes are born from dirt and struggle
They bleed red through interconnected veins
THE NAKBA ARCANE
The inmates have responded.
The holocaustic concentration
camp victims in Gaza refused
to accept the six evictions from
The holocaustic concentration
camp victims in Gaza refused
to accept the six evictions from
Vote as Oath
Every opening to every door,
every dissent to every decision,
every fight you didn’t flinch on,
and showdown you showed up to,
every dissent to every decision,
every fight you didn’t flinch on,
and showdown you showed up to,
Matamoros Mexico
Matamoros Mexico
Tent city on the border
Synonymous with waiting
Synonymous with suffering
Synonymous with hopelessness
Tent city on the border
Synonymous with waiting
Synonymous with suffering
Synonymous with hopelessness
THE YOUNG ARCANE
First it was, like a bat
out of hell, “I can’t breathe!”
and tens, then hundreds
then hundreds of thousands
died because they couldn’t.
out of hell, “I can’t breathe!”
and tens, then hundreds
then hundreds of thousands
died because they couldn’t.
So Many Words
They come to most forums
Say many words
Coiffed with intimations of home
Empty, ruling class promises.
A regular fixture
A regular fixture:
A hefty bag
Of her belongings
And a cushion to sit on
Around the corner
A hefty bag
Of her belongings
And a cushion to sit on
Around the corner
A regular fixture
A regular fixture:
A hefty bag
Of her belongings
And a cushion to sit on
Around the corner
A hefty bag
Of her belongings
And a cushion to sit on
Around the corner
I Know Her from the Neighborhood
She is your mother and my mother too
I know her from the neighborhood
She phones her son through the jailhouse glass
I know her from the neighborhood
She lies awake til her daughters come home
I know her from the neighborhood
I know her from the neighborhood
She phones her son through the jailhouse glass
I know her from the neighborhood
She lies awake til her daughters come home
I know her from the neighborhood
“I am and will be Other”
“I am and will be Other, until I write you into my heart and make you see my home as what it is. Just another extension of your own home. For there is no them; there is only us.”
The ‘Tears of Hate’ Arcane
My tears last night
seeing my brothers
and sisters in GI Jews
were not only theirs
shed 73 years ago
outside liberated nazi
concentration camps,
seeing my brothers
and sisters in GI Jews
were not only theirs
shed 73 years ago
outside liberated nazi
concentration camps,
Poem from “Streetscene”
I’d like to see capital
with lacerated knees crawling
from one reality to another
for a change.
with lacerated knees crawling
from one reality to another
for a change.
NOW, THE RESISTANCE
In the most powerful nation
on earth, a flame
of fascistic fervor is taking hold,
fueled by privileges, corruption
and greed.
on earth, a flame
of fascistic fervor is taking hold,
fueled by privileges, corruption
and greed.
The Kids Heard the Sound
The kids heard the sound
Looking all around
Suddenly blood on the ground
Time to make a change
Looking all around
Suddenly blood on the ground
Time to make a change
New Year Supermoon
So full
so close
to the Earth
Bigger brighter
lightening the darkness
now slowly waning
so close
to the Earth
Bigger brighter
lightening the darkness
now slowly waning
Let There Be Respite
Comes November rain.
HERE/THERE WITHER/WHERE? IN/OUT?
Streets. Doorways. Sidewalks.
HERE/THERE WITHER/WHERE? IN/OUT?
Streets. Doorways. Sidewalks.
psalm 137
under the viaducts
by the waters of Uptown
that’s where we sat down
and we remembered Zion
by the waters of Uptown
that’s where we sat down
and we remembered Zion
the cart he pushes
the cart he pushes
has a full load
.
but his sad eyes
are as blue as the light
on a silvery sea
has a full load
.
but his sad eyes
are as blue as the light
on a silvery sea
Cooperation
Rise above the beastly nature
Be the human that you are
The struggle of endless competition
Ends in ultimate ruin
Resources depleted
Fertile ground left sterile
Be the human that you are
The struggle of endless competition
Ends in ultimate ruin
Resources depleted
Fertile ground left sterile
Peace over piece
The tension is depressin
Others hold the same aggression
Ain’t no telling but accepted as a life lesson
They say the root of all evil is dinero
Poverty terror
Others hold the same aggression
Ain’t no telling but accepted as a life lesson
They say the root of all evil is dinero
Poverty terror
Too Old Young Men
We’re a couple of too old young men
Who keep going back, again and again
Calling each other on the phone
Time’s passed, neither leave it alone
Who keep going back, again and again
Calling each other on the phone
Time’s passed, neither leave it alone
THE WAY IT IS
J.W. told me tonight
that Mitch the Chipewa
died two nights ago.
“Over-exposure and drink.
39 years old.” “And he had
a bad ticker,” said Gyzmo’s
that Mitch the Chipewa
died two nights ago.
“Over-exposure and drink.
39 years old.” “And he had
a bad ticker,” said Gyzmo’s
The Night
The night had no effect
passing into dusk,
sleep comes abrupt,
detachment
kept from the dreamer.
Weaving without strings
passing into dusk,
sleep comes abrupt,
detachment
kept from the dreamer.
Weaving without strings
why?
why can't he sit inside
who found a cup with
a little coffee in it
and settled into
the cafe armchair?
who found a cup with
a little coffee in it
and settled into
the cafe armchair?
Homeless, Not Hopeless
Sitting in my tent
More time spent
Defending
Pretending
Everything's just okay
More time spent
Defending
Pretending
Everything's just okay
i do not know “what i am,”
i do not know “what i am,”
except a worker
trying
to pay for groceries
like you
except a worker
trying
to pay for groceries
like you
Bees
Lead in Flint water
Poison in Syrian air
Cancer in the dirt,
Cancer on the airwaves,
Tumors in the White House.
Poison in Syrian air
Cancer in the dirt,
Cancer on the airwaves,
Tumors in the White House.
Santa Ana Riverbed
Take a walk along the river's trail, move the tents to no avail
Little do they realize, each is a house for a pair of eyes
Will they ever realize?
Or continue spreading more lies
Little do they realize, each is a house for a pair of eyes
Will they ever realize?
Or continue spreading more lies
A whole lot of wildness
Of living
It’s best to stay expressive than to hold in
We know the path our roots the inconvenient
So why trash the gift given
From Ancestors to give
It’s best to stay expressive than to hold in
We know the path our roots the inconvenient
So why trash the gift given
From Ancestors to give
REFUGEES
Amici, friends, immigrants,
welcome to the land of broken hearts.
Your heart is – for different reasons,
or the same as mine – broken.
welcome to the land of broken hearts.
Your heart is – for different reasons,
or the same as mine – broken.
We all know
We all know it takes a whole lot of wildness
For pain to gain and conquer the mind
To keep it thoughtless
Throughout its time
Of living
For pain to gain and conquer the mind
To keep it thoughtless
Throughout its time
Of living
The American Nightmare
Welcome to the
"America dream", where
the President uses drones
to kill people,
"America dream", where
the President uses drones
to kill people,
Student poem
They try to fit us into the mold of the perfect student.
They try to create the leaders we already have in the new
generation. But don’t they see they aren’t working with the
generations now? We’re not the same.
They try to create the leaders we already have in the new
generation. But don’t they see they aren’t working with the
generations now? We’re not the same.
A Student Deferred
What happens to a student deferred?
does she give up
like there’s nothing left?
or does she keep going –
cuz its fun?
does she try her hardest to pass?
does she give up
like there’s nothing left?
or does she keep going –
cuz its fun?
does she try her hardest to pass?
“Let it bleed”
I'm from the boondocks
An iron city full of rum and drugs
South Central slums no fun is where I'm spawning from
The 90's unwind me to the time these Devils tried to blind me
my opponent is myself and only i can define me
I experienced the streets
An iron city full of rum and drugs
South Central slums no fun is where I'm spawning from
The 90's unwind me to the time these Devils tried to blind me
my opponent is myself and only i can define me
I experienced the streets
What Happened?
I remember when teachers and students looked forward to school,
We thought it was cool.
What happened?
The government corrupted;
Budget cutting.
We thought it was cool.
What happened?
The government corrupted;
Budget cutting.
” Infected Souls”
For plenty of years we've been oppressed, with drugs and violence
Day and night, all i seem to hear is sirens
Knocking on my drums as i walk and stomp the slums
Breathing the rhythm as i kick and rock the funk
Day and night, all i seem to hear is sirens
Knocking on my drums as i walk and stomp the slums
Breathing the rhythm as i kick and rock the funk
Mni Wiconi: Water Is Life
On cold flat North Dakota land
They rise in protest
The Standing Rock Sioux Nation
Burn sage and sing out
Will a pipeline steal
Across Standing Rock?
They rise in protest
The Standing Rock Sioux Nation
Burn sage and sing out
Will a pipeline steal
Across Standing Rock?
AS REV. PINKNEY DREAMS
Sleep falls hard under woolen blankets.
The day not cradled by a temporary small steel cot.
So much to set down, people to write.
The day not cradled by a temporary small steel cot.
So much to set down, people to write.
We have budget cuts
We have budget cuts
Schools getting shut down
teachers getting cut
Not enough books go
Home
Schools getting shut down
teachers getting cut
Not enough books go
Home
Water is a human right: Poetry in Defense of Flint, Michigan
This special feature section, "In Defense of Flint," is a partnership between The People’s Tribune of Chicago and Caravel in response to the contamination of the city of Flint's water supply. Many of the poems here were published in April 2016 as a special insert to The People's Tribune for National Poetry Month.
The Magnificent Mile
Sign says:
Homeless. Need haircut. Job. Train pass.
Sign says:
Homeless. Need food.
Medicine. Lost everything.
Homeless. Need haircut. Job. Train pass.
Sign says:
Homeless. Need food.
Medicine. Lost everything.
The Contradiction
They have endless money for war
And military expedition,
But no clean water for the poor
Poisoned people of Flint Michigan?
And military expedition,
But no clean water for the poor
Poisoned people of Flint Michigan?
Live Community Culture
CHICAGO, IL — A spectre haunts the Americas, a spectre composed of millions of artivists who have united to rescue communities from the attacks of the corporative dictatorship that destroys us with its death doctrine.
Flowers in Hell
Of course
there are flowers in hell.
Some people smell them every day.
The blossoms of bigotry
there are flowers in hell.
Some people smell them every day.
The blossoms of bigotry
revolt and Gargoyles weep
revolt
as necessary as food
it is the riffraff
the slaves the freed
into poverty
as necessary as food
it is the riffraff
the slaves the freed
into poverty
do you remember when
do you remember when
they called a blanket
and a piece of cardboard
a structure?
they called a blanket
and a piece of cardboard
a structure?
Moral Mondays
The church folk are gathering on Mondays now.
Have you seen them?
Marching through downtown,
Linking arms outside the Board of Trade to block the entrances,
Shutting down business as usual,
Have you seen them?
Marching through downtown,
Linking arms outside the Board of Trade to block the entrances,
Shutting down business as usual,
Poet to the Poor
Who will be the poet to the poor
For the abused, used, confused
Who aren't even aware
They have a hope and a prayer
Who will be the poet to the poor
For the abused, used, confused
Who aren't even aware
They have a hope and a prayer
Who will be the poet to the poor
Don’t Shoot
1999
Amadou Diallo
Twenty-three years old
Guinean immigrant in the Bronx,
New York.
His name rolls off the tongue
Like waves rising from the port of Conakry
Amadou Diallo
Twenty-three years old
Guinean immigrant in the Bronx,
New York.
His name rolls off the tongue
Like waves rising from the port of Conakry
Everything
I am reminded again
as though I didn't know
down in the broken
homeless camps
down at the curb
as though I didn't know
down in the broken
homeless camps
down at the curb
The Bricklayer: In Memory of Nelson Peery
In Memory of Nelson Peery
At 92 years young,
He had to know
He would not see
The future he envisioned
At 92 years young,
He had to know
He would not see
The future he envisioned
Upon Reading “Man With the Hoe”
Strangling in the muck of history.
He leans against the tavern wall.
And silently gazes across the Avenue.
Where watchdogs of property.
With vulture eyes and shotguns
He leans against the tavern wall.
And silently gazes across the Avenue.
Where watchdogs of property.
With vulture eyes and shotguns
Portrait of Nelson Peery
With a small stick he worked the grains of wheat
out of the cracks between the rotten boards
of the boxcar floor flying through the Depression
and built a little mountain of them in his palm,
out of the cracks between the rotten boards
of the boxcar floor flying through the Depression
and built a little mountain of them in his palm,
The Coat
I paw through the table of give away
coats. One cloth number tempts me
to smile. insisting as it does on polished
pews and woolen pedigrees. I’m trying
coats. One cloth number tempts me
to smile. insisting as it does on polished
pews and woolen pedigrees. I’m trying
The Truth
Let's consider the truth:
The biggest gang in the world
is the police.
Our tax dollars pay for
no justice and no peace.
The biggest gang in the world
is the police.
Our tax dollars pay for
no justice and no peace.
The Margins of Society
“I can’t help but notice all of those people
sitting over there for a very long time.
Doesn’t it bother you?”
I glance at all of the people sitting
sitting over there for a very long time.
Doesn’t it bother you?”
I glance at all of the people sitting
Tea with Joe Hill
Joe Hill and I had tea
He let his biscuits soak
They say America is free
Man how they love to joke
Ask Sacco and Vanzetti
He let his biscuits soak
They say America is free
Man how they love to joke
Ask Sacco and Vanzetti
“Service Please”
Don’t ask me why I took it there
Because I didn’t
This capitalist system put me
In this predicament
At the bottom of the pyramid
A second to last class citizen
Because I didn’t
This capitalist system put me
In this predicament
At the bottom of the pyramid
A second to last class citizen
Peace Poem
Face your pale peace
And you'll wish
That Your blood
Had been alive
In your silent
Rattlesnake throat...
And you'll wish
That Your blood
Had been alive
In your silent
Rattlesnake throat...
Waiting: (Jan. 3, 2015)
On a cold, puddle-filled night
some folks wait for a bus
under the shelter of a train station.
some folks wait for a bus
under the shelter of a train station.
The Gleam
“There’s a gleam comin’ through,”
you said that day
with your arm held up
and your eyes fixed straight
you said that day
with your arm held up
and your eyes fixed straight
DIEGO DELEO
An 80 year-old
compagno poet,
same age as me
but victimof that
horrific Ellis Act
is Diego Deleo. ...
compagno poet,
same age as me
but victimof that
horrific Ellis Act
is Diego Deleo. ...
dream
I dreamed my young homeless friends
were squatting a FEMA camp
making it no longer a prison
but a decent place to live
sharing their food and dreams
were squatting a FEMA camp
making it no longer a prison
but a decent place to live
sharing their food and dreams
Prayer for Passover (April 14, 2014)
I passed over twelve destitute today:
homeless on the street,
some with signs, some with cups,
some shaking, some sleeping,
some black, some white,
some men, some women,
all hungry.
homeless on the street,
some with signs, some with cups,
some shaking, some sleeping,
some black, some white,
some men, some women,
all hungry.
No Sleep for the Poor
No sleep for the poor.
Only sleep for the rich.
*
As people walk,
as people ignore,
Only sleep for the rich.
*
As people walk,
as people ignore,
American Slaves
Welcome to America
where corporations are people,
money talks, the government poisons
where corporations are people,
money talks, the government poisons
Poetry of Poverty in San Francisco
Poverty lives abundantly in San Francisco
10,000 homeless call its streets home
1 in 4 children and 1 in 5 adults
10,000 homeless call its streets home
1 in 4 children and 1 in 5 adults
“Could We Eat Our Way to World Peace?”
We are all hungry for peace
Hungry for the sword
Not to cut us apart
Not to cut into our feast
Hungry for the sword
Not to cut us apart
Not to cut into our feast
Hire Scabs to Replace Congress!
During the government shutdown this October, the American public made the radical decision to hire scabs to replace the US Congress.
Oscar
How do I explain to my three year old why im marching in these streets
How do I explain to my three year old why she aint seen me all week ...
How do I explain to my three year old why she aint seen me all week ...
BINGO
N-53 … G-60
B-37: Not Guilty.
His heart was in the right place,
beating in his chest,
right where it should be,
B-37: Not Guilty.
His heart was in the right place,
beating in his chest,
right where it should be,
Untitled ….GP
I think ya betta sit back and pleeeeeeeaaaaaaseee watch.
Like a burned movie
Theeeeeeeeese cops.
Before you find yourself
encaotured in chains
Like a burned movie
Theeeeeeeeese cops.
Before you find yourself
encaotured in chains
A Fallen Leaf
Like a fallen leaf o a Fall day
Trayvon Martin lies on the ground
Dead of a bullet
Fired by a man who chased him for being young, black and in the wrong
Trayvon Martin lies on the ground
Dead of a bullet
Fired by a man who chased him for being young, black and in the wrong
art
I have to break a coin and a tattered bill
to squeeze some cheese from it and some bread
that is my art form now: there's no fooling it
to squeeze some cheese from it and some bread
that is my art form now: there's no fooling it
Mama, I Can’t Sleep
In my dark and lonely fight, when all I have is just my right.
Who knows the truth, and if they care, to take my burden or just share
Who knows the truth, and if they care, to take my burden or just share
Hard Lessons
In reality
It feels like school’s against me
Cus no matter what I know,
If I don't pass that test
Then they won't let me go.
And if I'm not on time
No matter what's going on in my life
It feels like school’s against me
Cus no matter what I know,
If I don't pass that test
Then they won't let me go.
And if I'm not on time
No matter what's going on in my life
Sing A Song
early morning
sun in the sky
big yellow bird
pulls up to the front walk
and the doors open
and a song
falls down the stairs
sun in the sky
big yellow bird
pulls up to the front walk
and the doors open
and a song
falls down the stairs
Obituary: $7.25 A Week For Food
Embarrassed to plead
For his weekly grocery dough
George stayed home. . . and starved.
For his weekly grocery dough
George stayed home. . . and starved.
100 thousand Poets: Poetry demonstrates its power
SANTA ROSA, CA—The global movement of cultural activists calling themselves 100 Thousand Poets for Change is not waiting for its annual weekend of events in September. Instead, it is vibrantly alive from California to India.
Does poetry have power? Can it be a voice for justice? A threat to the powers that be?
Does poetry have power? Can it be a voice for justice? A threat to the powers that be?
Life suicided, Life sentenced
I expect you recently read
that more American soldiers
—men and women both—
killed themselves
in Afghanistan last year
than were killed in physical
combat in the war there.
that more American soldiers
—men and women both—
killed themselves
in Afghanistan last year
than were killed in physical
combat in the war there.
Poetry: Free / Angry Eyes / Students Test Us
Free
Mental health clinics
closed. Forced to fight our demons
in the streets. Again.
Angry Eyes
My angry eyes brim
With women searching dumpsters
For capital’s crumbs.
Mental health clinics
closed. Forced to fight our demons
in the streets. Again.
Angry Eyes
My angry eyes brim
With women searching dumpsters
For capital’s crumbs.
Once More, Ayibobo!
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — On the eve of the 3rd anniversary of one of the most horrific earthquakes in modern times, in which more that 220,000 Haitians lost their lives, the Revolutionary Poets Brigade of San Francisco held a fundraising event of poetry and music and featuring the Haitian speaker Max Blanchet, at the Art Internationale, the Brigade’s center, on January 11.
Obama’s Inaugural II
There were politicians, poets, puffery, promises, the public,
The holy, rich and powerful were there. School kids, scarred
Veterans of last week’s, current and far away years’
Social, political and martial wars. Choirs, cheers, bands,
The press, ruffles and flourishes of rhetoric.
The holy, rich and powerful were there. School kids, scarred
Veterans of last week’s, current and far away years’
Social, political and martial wars. Choirs, cheers, bands,
The press, ruffles and flourishes of rhetoric.
Early Saturday morning – Tenderloin
stretched
across the sidewalk
against a fence
not, in the coolness of October,
yet awake
dark, their clothes,
their coats
across the sidewalk
against a fence
not, in the coolness of October,
yet awake
dark, their clothes,
their coats
Vision of Technology
If technology could
If it were in the people's control
It could provide the means
For industry to work
Without the stress
So many laborers endure
On the assembly line
If it were in the people's control
It could provide the means
For industry to work
Without the stress
So many laborers endure
On the assembly line
When society, as a whole, is oppressed:
* The act of rebellion is the only true sign of intelligence.
* The course of love is driven to resonate from its core, humans being humane to each other.
* The course of love is driven to resonate from its core, humans being humane to each other.
Synchronicity
(Progressive Collective Unconscious)
Carl Jung
Robert Bly
Perfect Strength
Meeting of the minds
Carl Jung
Robert Bly
Perfect Strength
Meeting of the minds
