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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (July 15, 2016)
Street Roots • July 15-21,2016 Poetry Page 14 / stifled By Preeti Yadav Tasks oh so critical keep piling on, When is the time to do without shame or guilt, what I want? I suppose we must abide by the rules of these times we exist in Living our entire lives responding to pretend emergencies Sacrificing our dreams, relentlessly preparing for an insurgency Why then do we act surprised, squawk and cry when catastrophe finally strikes? How do we not realize that our fate of misery and self-loathing is self-fabricated? Marked by ingenuity and greed and acts so vile Bound by imaginary chains, we are not free or even alive We willingly volunteer enslavement instead of choosing life Our bodies tormented, moving aimlessly, void of a soul Our minds demented, existing in survival mode Attempting to preserve our sanity in this bedlam we call our world. Our perceived reality as we see it make all else obsolete Overflowing with superfluities, defined by scores of luxuries Countless living beings, animals and trees, birds and bees Sacrificed so we could remain confined in concrete houses with modem amenities Laden with pesticides, unending supply of food and drinks and lavish furnishings Somehow seem to make all the ugliness and sadness in this world worth it Lives and minds stifled by surfeit, unable to move or breathe Are we to blame for an existence so bleak? Some may plea, we just got sucked into this vortex of life Yes, but without a yawp or much resistance Let’s not pretend we are naive or innocent You and l are no ordinary beasts, predictable and weak Miscreants of a unique breed, insatiable, stamped by greed When offered superfluity, gladly swap our liberty, even minds and souls o CENTRAL CITY CareOregorr goMobileteam COFFEE Sourcing & roasting craft coffee to benefit programs at Central City Concern. IN STORES New Seasons Market, Whole Foods, Food Front Cooperative Grocery, Green Zebra, Chuck's Produce and Will Leather Goods. OHP Navigation Clinics AT YOUR OFFICE Interested in serving Central City Coffee at your office? Get in touch with us and we can help you make that happen. 503.226.7387 ON OUR WEBSITE Buy Central City Coffee online and have it shipped directly to you or a friend. CareOregon and our partners make Oregon Health Plan navigation easy! We offer help with: • Medicaid medical, dental and mental health appoi • Medicare eligibility for disabled and elderly adults Find us at these locations: Follow our Facebook page for updates and specials. centralcitycoffee.org facebook.com/CentralCityCoffee coffee@ccconcern.org Bud Clark Commons Portland Rescue Mission 665 NW Hoyt Avenue July 6............. 8-10 a.m. July 20............ 8-10 a.m. 111 July July July July City Team Portland if Dignity |D Poverty Over 6 million people worldwide vote for dignity over poverty when they buy street press. By doing so, they help vendors in 40 countries, selling over 100 different titles, to change their lives. In return, readers enjoy quality, independent journalism, in the knowledge that they’ve made a difference. 526 SE Grand Ave July 13............ 8-10 a.m. Clackamas County Transition Center 2223 Kaen Road, Oregon City July 13............. 1-3 p.m. July 27............. 1-3 p.m. W Burnside 7............. 8-10 14............ 8-10 21............ 8-10 28............ 8-10 a.m. a.m. a.m. a.m. Union Gospel Mission 3SW3rdAve July 19............. 2-4 p.m. July 26............. 2-4 p.m. ‘ACTUAL PHONE MAY VARY.
