50,000 names

How long does it take
to recite 50,000 names
due process on the run
from those who are detained
the landscapers
the pickers
they clean your toilets too
oh what will you do
what will you do
the names – they are recording
so let us start with this
perhaps fifty in a minute
more or less more or less
the better part of a day
will bring them home to rest
50,000 names
more or less more or less
due process unobtainable
when the jesters are in charge
the stain will last forever
like the face of Emmett Till
the face of Emmett Till
he haunts us still.

7-26-2025