...and some guy shouted
From the comfort of his gas guzzling SUV,
"You're a terrorist!"
I'm a terrorist?
I'm a terrorist because I
Stand on the corner with a peace sign,
Instead of being on the front lines

Occupying other countries,
Spreading corporate greed disease
Of U.S. Incorporated.

There are those
That classify dissent as terrorism.
To me that seems un-american.
But hey I'm sure the president would be one of them.
It seems that a good war
Brings a country closer together.
Maybe that's why we're locked into
An endless war on terror.
The troops are askin for your support.
The poor are fighting another rich peoples war.
The more things change,
The more they stay the same.

Change?
Change?
Someone flung some change at me
As I stood there with my sign.
It's not the kind of sign
That says I'm homeless.
It's the kind of sign that says I want peace.
How utterly american of him to use coins as projectiles.
Throw money at someone
That he did not agree with.

Activist they played their part.
Made their guest appearance.
Too active to stand still,
Besides they've got a meeting to go to.
They can plan the revolution,
While we're livin' it right now.
So sorry that our action
Interfered with your meeting.
How counterrevolutionary of me.
I mean meetings are good.
Surely we need them.
You can talk about lots of stuff.
Besides you made your appearance.
That's all that matters right?

I mean what the fuck?
It's Saint Patrick's Day,
I am Irish
There are places I would rather be
Rather than standing in the street with a sign for peace.
Being called a terrorist,
Having coins thrown at me.
But I know what must be done.
There is a bigger picture than us.
As a third fucking Hummer drives by

 
Michael D. Grover has staged and given poetry readings all over the country. His work has been widely published in venues such as Citizen 32, Philadelphia Poets and Mad Poets Review. Living in Florida he hosts the website covertpoetics.com and hosts a twice monthly reading at Exodus Coffee & Culture in Port Saint Lucie.