Arts
The Battle is On
Pansies and Margureites to You!
The Battle Is On
by Nadine Wolf Budbill
take back vermont
like an assault
i am reminded every time
every time i pass by
highways and long dirt roads
broken down trailers and hillside homes
manure spreaders and motorcycles
gas stations and clip joints
pick 'em up at your local supplier of bigotry
or make 'em yourself
homemade stencils and
pass 'em down the road to your neighbors
black lettering burns deep through white backgrounds
take back vermont
remember in november:
shoot a queer, not a deer
adam and eve, not adam and steve
leviticus, family values, 'cause the bible tells me so
matthew shepherd, stonewall, 1000 nameless beaten bodies
take back vermont
yuppies, flatlanders, new jersey, new york, long island
death of dairy farms
second and third jobs
she always was a farmer's wife 'til
she turned sixty and started workin' down to ames
so they could pay the bills
traffic lights, mcdonalds, saabs
range rovers, pricey health food stores
the battle is on
the world's working class will fill its front lines
those with the most cash will win
local culture gettin' smoothed by the
outta-state-cash-filled-pillow of
rising property values and money that talks
take back vermont
abenaki, iroquois, algonquin
have we forgotten
small pox infested blankets
given with the outstretched hand of germocidal warfare
the battle at wounded knee
the trail of tears
have we forgotten
genocide, attempted extermination, mass explusion
now we romanticize, exoticize
attend pow wows, co-opt spiritual traditions
just to fill the vacancy that was left when we
stepped in to reap the benefits of our ancestors' theft
“this land is my land, this land is your land...”
have we forgotten how this came to be
my land, your land, our country
who owns the deed to this land
if it is i then that deed is stained with violence and shame
take back vermont
who has the rights to this land
who has the right to take a stand
i ask
who has the right
Nadine Wolf Budbill is a social justice educator and poet. She designs and facilitates youth workshops that foster empowerment through anti-oppression education and creative self-expression. She works with youth in New York City, New England, and in Vermont through “On The Rise”, a Lamoille County based youth arts organization. Born and raised in Wolcott, Vermont, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York.