A cowboy sits upon his steed / a train carves through the desert / coyotes howl into a clear night / smog pours from smoke boxes / the country expands westward / holes chewed in leather soles / empty stomachs and empty wallets / youthful hands covered in callouses / in the cogs of machines / canaries singing in mines / coal and smoke / burning tiny lungs / blood sweat and tears / I claw my way / with calloused hands / towards the American Dream / an asinine concept / like pulling yourself up / by your bootstraps / I’m not wearing boots / retiring before you’re 70 / was Emma Lazarus asinine / when she begged for our poor and tired / I am poor and tired / coyotes on suburban sidewalks / smog pours from smoke boxes / I don’t see a golden door / the canaries are no longer singing