Persona Non Gratta Poem by Josephine DixonBanks

What do you possess, what do you own
A street address, a telephone
A cardboard box you call home
Are you employed or do you just roam

What’s your worth, your real value, nada-nada
Society screams and deems, persona non gratta

Dedicated your life to one job
That very business began to rob
Not just the person, the whole community
The city started to die, it was lunacy

Out on the street, mid winter no heat
Nothing to eat, no shoes for the feet
Who or what is the real thief
Who made crime sublime

What’s your worth, your real value, nada-nada
Society screams and deems, persona non gratta

Blame it on poverty, blame it on the people
It’s all their fault, they are so needful
Well, who should we thank
We don’t treat the city like it’s our own personal bank

Blend in with society
Adopt, adapt to it’s sobriety
Develop a pious demeanor
A societal all purpose mind cleaner