who's that sleeping in my bed?

this is where i am

my folks say i'm overreacting

throwing an unnecessary pity party

everyone goes through this

look at your father

your sister

people with ged's and 4 kids

you're no different

 

when i was a kid

i was promised a bed

any bed i wanted

as long as i made it myself

 

my father had 4 kids before he was 25

he made his bed of stones and spurs

but he fought his way up

amassing more and more cotton

until he made a mattress

pillow

sheets

it's beautiful now

both to look at

and to lie in

 

my sister decided work was for suckers

she made her bed of straws and sticks

it fell down

but she worked hard

amassing wood

until she had a firm surface upon which to lie

it's not that comfortable

but it's getting better

 

i made mine of the finest feathers

egyptian cotton

pillow topped

and upon graduation

i took a running leap

and found a foot in my face

kicking me away before i touched it

 

"you get that straw in the kitchen

why?

cuz we don't like you

your race

your gender

so we're taking your bed

and not leaving you a single feather

you can look at it from the kitchen window

call for it

pray for it

beg

but your kind does not deserve this bed

you do not deserve this bed

you must start with the others

well, right under them

cuz they've already built foundations"

 

so i spend my nights looking out the window

and my days trying to get out of the kitchen

but they locked

boarded

and welded it

 

yet every day

someone comes by

and tells me it'll open

if i just jiggle it right

then looks at me with disdain

as it makes no sense

that it's been four years

and i haven't amassed

a single feather

Reviews

[Robert Francis Callaci]

This is one hell of an interesting piece of writing- Quite impressive- I got caught up in your wonderfully expressed allegory. As I go to bed It'll be thinking about those feathers- This piece had bones...

my warmest
bob