by William Skink

I submitted this poem to the Missoulian and it ran online yesterday. Have a happy weekend staying warm, Missoula.

you can die on the sidewalk
with no place to sleep
because here in Missoula
even sidewalks aren’t cheap

our dear city leaders
want more sidewalks to die on
giving churches opportunities
to provide blankets and soup

sidewalks aren’t cheap
some residents now know
after Thanksgiving week letters
arrived with the snow

and speaking of snow
stiffer fines are coming
for failing to shovel
Grandma! work off that stuffing!

you may think Missoula
is a wonderful place
with rivers and mountains
and great food to taste

but if you’re poor and disabled
or elderly and infirm
or not working in tech
this poet can confirm

your worries aren’t shared
by the luminous ones
who know better than you
and control all the funds