Got Out of Bed on the Wrong Side of History

321 words

off to supermarket
fetch bread and wine
some morsel
any morsel
bit of freedom
bit of bread
ethnic food aisle
matzos
halal meats
dates 
tea
coffee
slaves
200 years of guilt
no way to atone
born in sin
white christ
wounds bleeding out on the shop floor
clean up on aisle 666.
Not enough pain
for the right to complain.
Human rights inalienable,
uttered from on high
spilled from the mouth of an unholy god.
Jahbulon wills it.
The brotherhood of un-man
Babylon rebuilt.
Tripping over unfamiliar tongues
guttural consonants
musical vowels of the orient
ricochet between ready meals and greek yoghurts.
Desperate
scrambling for a morsel
any morsel
grab the bread
break it
this is my body
and the bloody wine
like a wretched boar
turning the soil for any morsel
but it’s too late in the season for mushrooms
ribs protruding
trying to find authentic life
searching
ground frozen over
still his tusks sift through filth
there must be something!
so much potential
fell in with a bad crowd
unfortunate acquaintances
somewhat suspicious
keep an eye on him
authorities informed
lists updated
data analysed
might be dangerous
crimes against the proletariat
thought crime, speech crime, hate crime
send him to the gulag
repulsive ideology
could be dangerous!
Get to the checkout
black and white barcodes
Jamaican cashier
how are you sir?
Negro scans the flesh
Negro scans the blood
glances exchanged
chasm uncrossed
words unsaid
that’ll be 6 million please sir
approximately
more or less
do you have a nectar card?
unexpected item in the long march through the institutions
unsavoury political views
get the freedom
get the bread
any morsel
No one is illegal
we’re all immigrants you know
did you use your own bag?
tripping over unfamiliar tongues
thought crime, speech crime, hate speech, hate crime
white privilege
do you want cash back?
do you want your country back?
got out of bed on the wrong side of history.