and I hope you had
your fun—
I was standing there
with all the rest
and grinning when the
riot had begun.
Soon the broken glass
would be laid
on the ground with
the blood and blades
and pots banging up
and down in the raid.
And when the
megaphone man rang out
the ZooMass crowd
with signs in hand
sang out in a loud
reciprocal shout
so riled to march and
kicking up sand,
and with spirits high
they chanted odes,
clenched fists, and
broke the codes
so outwardly that day
upon those old main roads.
And the police
arrived in cruisers blue
just trying to quiet
the crowd
while firing off
shots to shake the dew
with handguns and
great gas clouds,
and as the pepper
spray was rained
on the missionaries in
the lane
they all fell down
destroyed in one big chain.
And as the signs
around began to drop
those living there threw
down cans
from their top floor
windows
to where my group
surrendered to the man.
And I saw
teargas-stained tears form
in the speech maker’s
eyes born now
with the anger of the
students in the dorm.
And as blood
spattered at the cement
the live ones
battered up rocks
and broke them on the
pavement
and stuffed the pieces
into socks
and made themselves a
David sling
and hurled them at
the officers' ring
'round the students
flying now on broken wings.
Then men in uniform
brought their sticks
but lost them in the
brawling grind
and came around to
give their kicks
to wake the sleeping
protesters behind
the terror of the
club and gave
us into the
courtyards of the slave
where we would live
with defaced graves.
So I’m carrying this
sign ‘til the riots decline,
‘til the preaching
has left me taught,
‘til the war inside was
won—I fought.
So I’m sending you my
regards from
the front lines while
it’s fun.
--Porter Daryl's Poems
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