For sure, I’m often piss and vinegar
Some might think something’s deeply missing here
Some might be totally right—I don’t care
Who cares if I’m right about your cope schemes?
No one, or few, care about you or me
But something has its laser on us all
It’s a surveillance society this one
It’s both personal and ultra-public
It’s a great center without being centered
It’s a margin without edging the rim
It’s full Anarcho-Tyranny, confreres
The fees on your hospital bills are tithes
To this fiefdom of privatization
Where options to be a feel-serf—are free.
Rodrigo Toscano is a poet and dialogist based in New Orleans. He is the author of eleven books of poetry. His poetry has appeared in over 20 anthologies, including Best American Poetry and Best American Experimental Poetry (BAX). His Collapsible Poetics Theater was a National Poetry Series selection. He received a 2023 International Latino Book Awards Honorable Mention for The Charm & The Dread (Fence, 2022). He works for the Labor Institute in conjunction with the United Steelworkers and the National Institute for Environmental Health Science on educational training projects that involve environmental and labor justice culture transformation. rodrigotoscano.com @Toscano200
