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The 2009 Poetry Luchador/Wrestling Battle of ALL of the Sexes on Valentines Day was a multi-generational, multi-lingual, multi-cultural mash-up of art, gender, poetry, wrestling, language and theatre brought to you by your favorite revolutionary poets, media-makers, poverty scholars and cultural workers at POOR Magazine. Introducing … The Winners:
The Livin on Concrete
by V.L. Hain aka Supertenant and welfareQUEEN #1 in a battle against The SlumLord
When you walkin thru the downtown, and lookin in around, you see the
down of humanity, who was once somebody’s baby, layin down on the
concrete, street, on the ground
And do ya dare to care, and say what you want to say, step on and stare –
Double standard mind warped thinkin, not my problem, this is where –
Ya got it wrong, think you are strong, move along, but it’s your
conscience layin there –
Cuz it is what it is – what it is – what it is
Livin on concrete –
What it is – what it is – what it is
Livin on concrete
So, call it whatever you wanna call it – at a distance
But in reality, it’s a casualty of a capitalist existence
Thru the food chain of command, it’s the plan of the man
So step off – shut the fuck up, walk on by, why take a stand?
And be grateful for what you got, even if ya been just tossed a bread crumb
Cuz the hypocrisy of democracy’s leavin nothing for that street bum –
What it is – what it is – what it is
Livin on concrete-
What it is – what it is – what it is
Livin on concrete
NIMBYism ideology, no apology, psychology
Haven’t ya realized, ya been hypnotized, homogenized, desensitized?
To a typical, statistical, egotistical psychology
To accept the neglect and disrespect your own humanity
What it is – what it is – what it is
Livin on concrete –
What it is – what it is – what it is
Livin on the street.
So call it whatever ya wanna call it!
The Poverty Pimp’s Lament
by Tony Robles aka The Poverty P-I-M-P, who battled The welfareQUEEN
Pimpin’ all I see,
Pimpin’ you, she
He and sometimes
Even me
I robbed the poor
Box at St. Boniface
And nailed Jesus
To a cross with nails
Marked half off
When you turn on the
Lights you see the
Whites of my lies
The furnace of my flesh
Stench and filth fills
Walls plugged up with the
Rotten teeth of PO-LICE
My poem is the whisper
Of a corpse, the dust
Of tainted symphonies made
Of sound proof bricks
Falling one by one
Like the rusty blood
Of a dead faucet
I am the poverty pimp
Secluded in poverty pimpdom
Wearing a poverty pimp smoking
Jacket and poverty pimp
Monogrammed
Jockey shorts
Signed sealed
Delivered the money
Ain’t yours
I am the poverty pimp
Wearing a poverty pimp
Stocking mask with the
Eyes torn out
One eye to rob you
Blind, the other
To roll like a marble
I am the poverty pimp
At the top of the poverty
Pimp food chain
Love me feed me
Love me feed me
Love me feed me
I say
I ain’t such a bad
Guy
I’ll pimp you
Out, 80-20
In my favor
I am the poverty
Pimp, standin’ walkin’
Stalkin’ with a poverty
Pimp limp
Standing on
Your backs
Creeping down
Your spine
Your poverty
Is mine
You poverty
Swine
I am the poverty
Pimp spelled
P-I-M-P
SYSTEMBITCH: Old school rap
by Laure McElroy aka The System Bitch, who battled The Social Worker
My job dropped a dime to my worker
so my foodstamps got cut
we ate that month
didn’t pay no rent
now we’re kicked out on our butts
Now this joint’s gone global
but only if you’re rich
I’m caught on a catch
and scrilla’s the scratch
this broke-ass birth can’t itch
SYSTEMBITCH
I got no money!
What am I gonna do??!
Moved into my sister’s
thought we’d save a dollar
her crackhead man went golden gloves
he beat her and she hollered
CPS said “bitch – the home you in ain’t safe …
Move out or we’ll jack those brats
They’ll be wards of the state.”
SYSTEMBITCH
I’m on the street again
They took my babies
Sinkin’ fast, subprime disaster
the state is broke
our republican masters
tax the poor
to feed the rich
y’all think it’s a joke
til you’re the next
SYSTEMBEEYOTCH!
Read more about issues of poverty and race written by the people who face them daily at www.poormagazine.org.
