The Sub-Urban Pioneer
Oh give me a home
with a big landscaped lawn
four cars, a boat and a kitty.
For my heart yearns to be
any place that is free
of the urban decay of this city.
I’ll do my shopping at Gucci’s and Sak’s,
spend all of my days at the malls.
Charge my Armani’s and Klein’s—
I’ll look so divine
nibbling caviar at charity balls.
I’ll have two children—
Carson and Dawn—
not lil’ Counts, Sinbads or Foxies.
They won’t sell no dope.
They’ll know how to cope
and grow up to be good little Nazis.
I’ll take a lover
who’ll look like Val Kilmer
and he’ll give me all I desire.
We won’t bicker or fight.
We’ll make love every night
and join swing clubs
to light up his fire.
We’ll own a Bugatti, a Fiat, a Porche,
driving with class all the way.
We’ll buy Dawn a Viper
and Carson a Vette
and to hell with the damned R.T.A.!
I’ll spend my hours playing
tennis and bridge,
croquette and maybe some cricket.
I’ll join posh country clubs
while my maids clean and scrub
and I’ll vote the Republican ticket.
Gourmet food, vintage wine,
oh, life will be fine.
The Reagans will move in next door.
There’ll be no welfare cases,
they’ll say we are racists
but we won’t live in fear
for our lives anymore.
Oh please give me a home
with a huge landscaped lawn,
a yacht and a pedigreed kitty.
For my heart yearns to be
anywhere that is free
from the rot and the dirt
of this city.
Notes:
“The Sub-Urban Pioneer” was first published in It’s Not About Dreams (Erato/Poetry, 2014). It is reprinted with permission of Kayla González Huertas.
This poem is part of the portfolio “Salima Rivera: A Chicago Rican Poet.” You can read the rest of the portfolio in the March 2024 issue.
Source:
Poetry
(March 2024)
