demand empathy from those better off
than poor souls seeking shelter in our world.
Indeed, to those who fight for them, they doff
their caps, with altruistic flag unfurled.
Still, refugees are unfavorably
regarded and brook grief at the behest
of residents who prove unsavory
to those they deem are just self-serving pests.
Such hard-pressed applicants just want relief
from sundry circumstances assailing them.
Yet, prickly plaintiffs seem to have a beef,
like cackling hens, whom justice should condemn.
Good will’s a heartfelt remedy from all
of them to ‘masses yearning to breathe free.’
They only ask they prove their wherewithal
when seeking an apartment vacancy.
For though they savor humanistic bents,
they rather they not be at their expense.
“Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,”
indeed, were not their rentals somewhat high
that even though they charge no broker’s fee,
prospective tenants need to verify
proof of income that is equal to three
times rent of any place they’re looking for.
So, you can see their hospitality’s
a welcome mat at any other door
than theirs. This makes them all the more dismayed
that those not burdened with the formal fuss
they have to go through – renting out high grade
domiciles – should be parsimonious.
They know the middle class showed fortitude,
once they induced them from their posh abode
to cut the poor some slack. Still, they were rude
to second guess the reputable code
of ethics that informs each blameless life,
albeit causing them some trifling strife.
Born & bred in New Jersey, Frank De Canio worked in New York City all of his life. He loves music from Back to Amy Winehouse. Shakespeare is his consolation, writing his hobby. Starting at age twelve or so, he’s written more than a thousand poems. As poets, I like Dylan Thomas, Allen Ginsberg, and Sylvia Plath. He also attends a Café Philo every other week in Lower Manhattan.
