A Poem by Joy Leftow

My blog address is http://joyleftowsblog.blogspot.com

I have worked my entire life as a professional licensed social worker - mostly with students at the New York City Dept of Ed and I could never afford my own home. As a single mom, I worked hard to survive. And now things are even worse and people can barely survive. The 99 percent have given me the first hope I've had in years that things may change for the better for future generations. I hope you will publish my bluetry poem, Billie's Consumerism Blues. I actually got to perform this at an open people's stage and Uncle Eddie backed me up on his banjo.

I am hoping to have the opportunity to do more with you - certainly as a poet and artist, but I have many skills and have helped people my entire life. I was helping people before I became a social worker. Back in those days - I knew I had to do something to make a living - so I became a social worker. I attended College grad and undergrad at Columbia under the auspices of the Higher Education Opportunity Program. I was the only white one in the program and out of the dozen of us who entered at the same time, only two of us made it through to graduation. Then I attended social work school.

I have written poetry, stories and articles since my childhood since writing is my true love. Now that I'm retired from the dept of ed, (horrid place to work) after 21 years, I can spend my time as I like.

Below is the second bluetry poem I am submitting to you. I thank you for your time and reading. I attended several meeting of the arts and culture meetings as well.

Welfare’s Still A Bitch

Back in the day I burned loquacious at welfare’s fair hearings
But soon I learned that when you went to your worker you only speak when you’re spoken to Everything will be held against you
And twice more if you’re white
You’ll be accountable for every damn penny you didn’t spend
How dare you go to Columbia University on our money
You’ll see white bitch hoe
Now I’m at the welfare center again
I’m still the only white one there
thank god it’s not for me I wait here
I watch as everyone demands entitlements
They have their appointments they’ll not leave with disappointment
The brothers and sisters and me we see others get special treatment
waiting on names and numbers to be called
Liars they say first come first served but everything seems stalled
I want mine and I want it now - Latinos and Blacks uprising.
The guards are watchful but do nothing
Those who yell loudest – their workers came out and usher them
through glass doors to get what’s theirs
they come back smiling
After that it didn’t quiet down till the room emptied out
After they all got what was coming to them
I wish it had been like that for me
I fought at so many fair hearings
To get my claims accepted back in the day
Each time I recertified they cut my food stamps to zero
If you’re white you get less
if you’re Jewish it’s double less because you know all those jews are rich they don’t come from any Warsaw ghettos and it’s a damn lie any of them were killed in any fucking holocaust

those kikes are Fucking Christ killers is what they are
heard it all my life
A voice inside my head
Each way I turn
Sometimes I forget who I am

And it all comes rushing home like a river overflowing with leaves silt memories
Someone will bring it home to me no matter how long I live

Ladies and Gentlemen: we’ve gone back in time to the 60’s – prejudice crackles like fire in the air.

We need to get our heads turned back to the streets to take back what’s rightfully ours

We need we need we need – medical care money a place to live and survive
So sad - right back at you with the blues tonight