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Peoms on Welfare

We have been talking about welfare and what it means since the beginning of class. So I decide to go off course a little and just share these two poems that I found on welfare. The first poem by Maya Angelou talks of a welfare mother and the other poem by Karla Dorman talks about a decription of the welfare system.  The second peom I feel had a good impact because of the spelling and also of the way she just blurts it out. Its straight forward talk about all what the system put you through when applying for welfare. What do you all think?

Momma Welfare Roll
 

  
  Her arms semaphore fat triangles,
Pudgy hands bunched on layered hips
Where bones idle under years of fatback
And lima beans.
Her jowls shiver in accusation
Of crimes clichéd by
Repetition. Her children, strangers
To childhood’s toys, play
Best the games of darkened doorways,
Rooftop tag, and know the slick feel of
Other people’s property.Too fat to whore,
Too mad to work,
Searches her dreams for the
Lucky sign and walks bare-handed
Into a den of bereaucrats for
Her portion.
‘They don’t give me welfare.
I take it.’Maya Angelou

 

 

 

“Welfare”
guv’ment forms make her stomach knot
in triplicate
as she signs up for the dole.
they want to know
everything–any assets
that she has, why
she’s not working,
and why should good taxpayers support her
any damn way?
how long is she planning on being on
her dead ass, how
many kids she’s got and do they got
the same fathers,
what kind of car is she driving,
what life is left
after the bills suck her dry, and how is she
paying them in
the first damn place, how much
money she has
tucked aside for a rainy afternoon…
her dignity
exposed in black and white and assigned
a case number.

(c) 2006, Karla Dorman

 

Post by th058069 | November 12th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Subscribe to comments | Leave a comment | Trackback URL

4 Responses to “Peoms on Welfare”

  1. 1
    Roshni:
    November 12th, 2008 at 9:53 pm

    Great poems, it sheds a light on the poets experiences and views on the welfare system and on welfare mothers.

  2. 2
    urwah0ahmed:
    November 14th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

    “Too fat to whore..too mad to work”

    Interestings lines that sum up the desperation in humans for work, food and a good means of living.

  3. 3
    khazrah:
    November 17th, 2008 at 2:11 pm

    It was the best poem I have read about welfare. Especially the first one written by Maya Angelou

  4. 4
    auta ze szwecji:
    November 19th, 2008 at 5:55 pm

    Very interesting article, i bookmarked your blog
    Best regards

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