Adrienne Rich - Ballade of the Poverties lyrics

There’s the poverty of the
Cockroach kingdom and the rusted toilet bowl
The poverty of to steal food
For the first time the poverty of to mouth a
Penis for a paycheck
The poverty of sweet charity ladling
Soup for the poor who must
Always be there for that
There’s poverty of theory poverty
Of swollen belly shamed
Poverty of the diploma or
Ballot that goes nowhere
Princes of predation let me tell you
There are poverties and there are poverties

There’s the poverty of cheap
Luggage bursted open at immigration
Poverty of the turned head, averted eye
The poverty of bored sex of tormented sex
The poverty of the bounced check
Poverty of the dumpster dive
The poverty of the pawned horn
Of the smashed reading glasses
The poverty pushing the sheeted
Gurney the poverty cleaning up the puke
The poverty of the pavement artist
The poverty passed out on pavement
Princes of finance you who
Have not lain there
There are poverties and there are poverties

There is the poverty of
Hand-to-mouth and door-to door
And the poverty of stories
Patched-up to sell there

There’s the poverty of the
Child thumbing the Interstate
And the poverty of the
Bride enlisting for war
There is the poverty of
Stones fisted in pocket
And the poverty of the
Village bulldozed to rubble
There’s the poverty of coming home
Not as you left it
And the poverty of how would you ever end it
Princes of weaponry who have
Not ever tasted war
There are poverties and there are poverties

There’s the poverty of wages wired
For the funeral you can’t get to the poverty
Of bodies lying unburied
There’s the poverty of labor offered
Silently on the curb
The poverty of the no-contact prison visit
There’s the poverty of
Yard-sale scrapings spread
And rejected the poverty of eviction
Wedding bed out on street
Prince let me tell you who
Will never learn through words
There are poverties and there are poverties

You who travel by private jet like a housefly
Buzzing with the other flies
Of plundered poverties
Princes and courtiers who will
Never learn through words
Here’s a mirror you can look
Into: take it: it’s yours

For James and Arlene Scully