Where the Poor Come to Live by Jennifer Lagier

The lucky ones who can afford homes
are celebrities,
trustafarian millennials,
old beats and hippies
who bought when this
was a hip bohemian Valhalla,
in the 50’s & 60’s.

Now minimum wage workers
pay exorbitant rent
for postage stamp apartments,
falling-apart shacks,
enrich slum landlords
who refuse to maintain
leaky roofs,
non-functional plumbing.

The homeless panhandle at stoplights,
seek shelter in public library,
post office, under store marquees.
They sprawl upon margins of beach,
greet tourists entering Fisherman’s Wharf,
squat on land they will never own,
sleep exposed to frost, wind and rain.

Jennifer Lagier has published thirteen books, taught with California Poets in the Schools, co-edits the Homestead Review, helps coordinate Monterey Bay Poetry Consortium readings. Newest books: Scene of the Crime (Evening Street Press), Harbingers (Blue Light Press), Camille Abroad (FutureCycle Press). Forthcoming: Like a B Movie (FutureCycle Press, 2018). Website: : : Poetry by Jennifer Lagier : : 