They Just Do 'Drive-Bys' Poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar

'No one has ever asked me,
What takes place around here.
Or how much my overhead is raised,
Just to provide a convenience...
For the thieves to steal,
From my place of business.'

I hear you.
And not one step,
Have those who moved to the suburbs...
Taken in my neighborhood,
To get a reality check kept in perspective...
And yet,
They become offended by my depiction of it.
A 'depiction' I live with on a daily basis.

To 'then' have the nerve to say to me,
I have no right to get upset or 'embittered'.
By an ignorance I tolerate,
But on some days can not accept.

And they just do 'drive-bys'!
To claim the doing,
Has left them exhilarated and refreshed...
By an experience had.
And that I do not appreciate 'my' ethnic connection.
As stated by those who drive away,
Refusing to come back and/or stay.
Yet I am the one who has done just that.

'No one has ever asked me,
What takes place around here.
Or how much my overhead is raised,
Just to provide a convenience...
For the thieves to steal,
From my place of business.'

I hear you.
And not one step,
Have those who moved to the suburbs...
Taken in my neighborhood,
To get a reality check kept in perspective.
They just do 'drive-bys'.
And with a quickness to forget.