exploration of coercion in everyday life

in the space between a neighborhood and a street map

between a battle fought and a ballot cast

between our vacant hands and the things we lack

in the space between having nothing and everything

between your tired bones and the empty buildings

between this abandoned lot and a vegetable garden

there are people with guns who know how to use them

nothing better to do than hop in their cruisers

and go crack the skulls of some dropouts and losers

and get congratulated on restraint when they do it

so if we can't blow up a social relationship

we also can't reason with bullets

so let's not be confused who uniforms and badged work for

it's not intelligence that keeps assholes rich

it's fucking armies of blue rolling with full clips

with handcuffs and clubs for anyone who's sick of going without just because they're poor

and in the space between who i am and who i should be

between a tired loner and a community

between where the van broke down and alturas street

and in the space between me and the neighbors out on the street

between these walls that we pay to keep

and the ruins that this world deserves to be