Another Shooting

Did you hear about the shooting today? Another shooting happened?
Another shooting happened today. Another shooting happened today.
Did you hear about the shooting today?
Another shooting happened today. Another shooting happened today.
Did you hear about the shooting today?
I’m forgetting the names of all the shootings.
I’m forgetting the names of the heroes, victims, and shooters.
Weekends with multiple mass shootings.

Did you hear about the shooting today?
Which one?

These shootings are getting political.
But not like they used to be.

Did you hear about the…

Did you hear about the terrorist attack today?
It was a white nationalist.
Did you hear about the terrorist attack today?
It was a white nationalist.
Did you hear about the terrorist attack today?
It was a white nationalist.

Did you hear about the shooting today?
This is getting to be like the weather.

Did you hear about the terrorist attack today?
If we’re honest this weather is getting worse.

Did you hear about the kidnapping plot against the governor?
This climate is definitely changing.

Did you hear about the insurrection on the Capitol?
This climate crisis is political.

The Absurdity of Poverty

Homeless, sent on a train to the next town down,
‘They can help you’
Arrive, call to verify a bed, must make a way downtown.
‘How far are you?’
Request, ten dollars can get you halfway there,
A four mile walk
Kindness, still brought you there, even short on fare.
Heavy bags, take stock
Relief, take a seat, while papers get ready to sign,
Last dollars spent
Bench, order a warrant, unpaid fines.
Fifty dollars, went unsent
Dog, a nuisance, barking, Still sent two cop cars parking
Daughter didn’t pay?
Spent, exhausted from five hours then barring.
Three cops to take away?
Worn, only the clothes on back, can I leave my sack?
When I return can I still stay?
Away, Too old to carry it back

Is this the absurdity of poverty?
How expensive it is to be poor.
Is this the absurdity of power?
How much money spent to get pennies more.
Is this the absurdity of punishment?
How harsh must it be on the floor.

It makes no sense.
To have spent so much
Three officers salaries, cost of running the squad cars, cost of the jail cell for the nights, the cost to be sent 4 hours back to serve time there. The salary of the judge, the cost of the taxi.
The spent money for him to be sent.
For fifty dollars.
For a dog barking.
For justice?
Really?
It makes no cents.
It costs so much to keep the poor so.
It makes no sense.
It costs so little to let the poor man go.

Ice Rains

Refuge from the bitter cold
Norwegian land of old
Come onto our frozen soil
Which is laden with oil
We welcome from poverty
Provided you with property

Yet the ice rains will harm the new crops
It will greet you with chills
The ice rains will hamper your lot
It will welcome your struggle
The ice rains will sting your fields, and factories
Will raid your crops and rid the ‘verim’
“These ICE raids are to rid your burden”

Covered wagon’s
Caravans to new lands
Cross country trek’s
Watchout for the ‘red’s warbands’
Covered your young
Risked safety for salvation

When the ice rains greeted you
They were not too harsh
Then the ice rains reminded us
That we were so sparse
Yet, the ice rains forgot me
That I was greeted with less farce

The climate changed, and now the ice’s rain hurts
The bitter cold beatings at arrival
The ice’s rain was now painful
Our bitterness of new rivals
The ice’s rain is burning
The fire that made us tribal

This is how we greet our new arrivals
Welcome to the fight
Welcome from your flight
Welcome to the night
The dark day’s where ice rains
The bitter cold where I remain
The sweet release from cages
Where the ICE Reigns.
Where the sting of teargas
Is our ice’s rain
With the chill of sea water
We greet
“Migrants, remain”
Is this a stain?
We beat
“The infestation, and the invasion”
What's left from ice’s rain?
Coldness. Is all that we learned from our ice rains?
Tyranny is hard to see
Teary in the rain makes it hard to see
Our vision’s lost in ICE’s Reign.

Dalton is a local poet and activist. He became more politically active after seeing the devastating reality of poverty while working for the unhoused in his community. He is a member of the Red River Valley DSA, the MN Progressive Caucus, ND United, and his local DFL unit. His submissions are excerpts from his upcoming book of poetry titled ‘My Abstract Empire’.