Once We Were
once we were immigrants
given to thought we were
given the right to be
taking what wasn’t our
making what wasn’t
who wasn’t us were
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take take take
off your shoes your taken
from shoes your take
down shoes your
shoes on the table
your take—
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table the con-
versation the talk the
top of the table steeple
sky for just a minute be
quiet listen: the shifting
crumbs on the table
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shiftless we said the
shifty eyes gave them
away we didn’t see
the less than dress
a shuffle slip as in
under another shaft
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shaft to have to hold
an arrow handle for hammer
column to build a shaft
of light our enlightened
missile we own the whole
mine we own the shaft
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mine! we could not stop
the baby mine! we would
not stop ourselves mine
it drill it strip it right
down to hear us making
taking over taken out
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stop for a listen for
once we were may be our
getting forgotten a shifting
to taken mistaken to get
set for the coming all
hands on the table
