Solidarity
Benjamin Rose
In Northwest at noon,
Pass the homeless encampments
In Dupont Circle
Where ambulance sirens wail,
Le Pain Quotidien pours
Overpriced and tasteless wine,
But the avocado toast
Will offend no one.
A bipolar bum begs me
A buck, and I give him five
To buy cigarettes
Out of solidarity
With all the madmen
And madwomen of this world
Who cannot afford
That tab of abilify
I cut this morning.
Flash Issue 7
Benjamin Rose is a poet born and raised in the D.C. area. His work has appeared in The Dillydoun Review, The Button Eye Review, Beyond Words Literary Magazine, Cathexis Northwest Press, and Last Resort Literary Review, as well as the self-published collection The Road Of Glass. He is a Junior Year English major at CUA. @benjaminroseofficial (IG)