Work Archive
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (But It Might Be On YouTube)
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Street corner reading in Brooklyn, July 2009 (bottom) for In the Kitchen (top)
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I've written eight poems for In The Kitchen, a beautiful new book of photography by Dona Schwartz about blended families, teenagers, and domestic life. Read "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (But It Might Be On YouTube)" below and order your copy.
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (But It Might Be On YouTube)
The thong in the laundry,
the note from school in the trash,
the junk food wrappers on the counter,
the clenched fist in the pocket of
the jacket which is never taken off,
the slouch, the scowl, the snarl:
these are the signs
The coup is in progress
Rebel bands have formed in the outlying districts
Roadblocks are set up in the halls
the cache of cellphones is ready
the coded messages memorized
the iTunes account infiltrated
and now they come
They come in Chucks and Uggs and Crocs and Docs
in college sweats and belly shirts
they come with tats on their lats and studs in their lips
they come in pajamas and hoodies, with magenta hair
Stand back, vile oppressors! They are here.
They will take the kitchen!
Hail the arrival of the disenfranchised masses!
The warlords and guerilla queens pouring in
from the furthest reaches of the neighborhood!
Go to bed, deposed monarchs!
Go to bed so the people's army
can commandeer the communications network
and clean out the refrigerator.
The junta is always hungry!
And the deposed monarchs are always exhausted.
To bed they will gladly flee.
To dream of abdication, of exile in Eastern Europe,
of the summer palace, or just the Holiday Inn down the street.
Only to rise to make coffee in the ruins
of their divided nation, to wake its furious heroes
for another day.
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