- Benjamin Walker -
I applaud
the Navy snipers on the rooftops--
men standing guard
with automatic weapons
on unlit Metro cars
and circling the House of Saud
while the neckties on K Street
and the brass buttons in the Pentagon
outgun everyone
I honor the Congressmen
who get the last word
without listening to ours--
they say don't hand out clean needles
then slip away at night
hugging their comforters in cool Virginia
I sing praises
for the 5-0
who understand
why we left our IDs at home--
who patrol Spring Valley
and the National Cathedral
at 3AM--
who sleep
parked
on Nebraska and Constitution
while a Balkan melee rages
across the Anacostia river
I offer a toast
to the CVS guy who locked up
all the condoms in the Navy Yard
and through the lower wards--
as if this swamp isn't muggy enough
In this city--
as long as it remains--
men on the street
come up to me cold
as I leave theaters
right out of Chinatown--
one takes my offered cigarette
but refuses my dollar
then says
I like you though,
See?
You look me right
In the eyes
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