Poems by Shurland H. Aird

Poems by

Shurland H. Aird

LIFE

L is for Living to the fullest of your potential, your talents, and your dreams

I is for Ideal Life, which is very hard for the majority of us to find

F is for Forgiveness—which we have to have for ourselves

E is for Enjoyment, because you only get one life, unless you are Shirley MacClaine

MIRROR, MIRROR

Mirror, mirror On the wall In the pool On the sidewalk In the person In front of me.

I see things I would rather not see. I see things I have not seen for years. I see things for my eyes only.

Mirror, mirror You show so much Of the person I want to be, Of the person I could be, Of the person I should be.

One man’s mirror Is another man’s reality. And another man’s reality Is some man’s fantasy.

A HARD LIFE

I leave my home late at night— my 24 kids all sleeping my wife, her belly full of more. I have to find food I have to find water to feed the many mouths that depend on me.

I slowly creep out of the little crack in the wall. I make my way across the dusty floor.

All of a sudden I am blinded by a bright light, and as my big eyes get adjusted, I hear a thump as a big leather shoe barely misses my back.

Why do humans hate me so? All I want to do is provide for my family, yet everyday I take my life in my hands as any good father would.

Please think of my kids— Susie, Jenny, Tommy, Earl, Theresa, Benny— and so on and so on.

FREE MY BACK

A rat, a monkey, or a gorilla— The burden is the same It wears you down It tears you up

You can’t sleep You’re not happy when you’re awake

No one cares If you live or die No one cares If you get high No one cares when you cry

A rat, a monkey, or a gorilla— You can’t shake it off You can’t wash it away You can’t pray it away

What you have to do Is face it everyday Turn it around and look it in the eyes Say to it, “Get off my fucking back!”

I don’t want to wait For you to drop off I am pulling you off I am going to stomp on you I’m going to wreak havoc on you I’m going to kill you Again and again and again I want my back back I want my life back I need my soul back So again I say, A rat, a monkey, a gorilla, whatever— Get off my fucking back!

LIFE IS A BIG HOLE (9/11/08)

I see my family as they walk slowly, as if in a daze, down the ramp into a hole, a hole left where those majestic buildings once stood.

They were symbols of American strength. They were the source of American wealth and its control of world currencies. They were the holders of American influence over the rest of the mediocre world.

I see my family, my friends—and my heart (if it still functioned) would skip a beat. Do not cry for me, for I am no longer there. Miss me. Remember me. But do not cry for me. Cry for the people with HIV. Cry for the crimes of mankind. Cry for the children of Darfur. Cry for the people of the Gulf Coast. Cry for those dependent on Medicare and Welfare. Cry for the people who are losing their life savings. Cry for the people who have lost their homes. Cry for the people who are living in shelters. Cry for the children who are beaten by their parents and other adults. Cry for the women who are raped every day. Cry for the children who are too poor to go to school. Cry for America as a country infested by greed, corruption, favoritism, the Old Boys’ Club, the KKK, and ignorance and intolerance.

Don’t cry for me, for I am not here.