City Of Walnut Trees Poem by Godwin Nnanna

City of walnut trees
Where predators seek their prey
Where coyotes and cash-crazy corporations
Exploit the poor and vulnerable
Catch them rejected, make them dejected
Work them for nothing till their hands pill off
For a weekly wage that barely feeds a puppy for a day

City of black walnuts
City of hills and deserts
City of guns, gates, and guards
A symbol of conquest that predators cherish like gold
Dark memories of you sit deep in the heart of many
Memories of loved ones murdered by ruthless agents of an empire
Of immigrants separated from their dreams by a big wall

Oh Nogales! your glory is the pain of many
Your walls litter with the remains of the vulnerable
Yours is a city built on the sweat of exploited men
Drained and fainty they heave in relief at the Samaritan's water
I hear their voices as I hike your mountains
Debbie's hilltop shrine affirms their humanity
With a whisper to all people of conscience never to be silent