Notes About The Poem
Accepting survival as intrinsically perfect can be difficult.  Trying to imagine another’s “perfect,” daunting.  So goes Rio’s poor, year after year and into the treasure fused Olympics.

Everything's Perfect

Everything’s Perfect
                      by Odin Roark

Rio’s open market day
Bag fillin’
Day old mango and limes
Under tarpaulins-sweating

Tank topped ladies
“Baratas Baratas”
The call for cheap cheap
Bananas on barbed iron
Catching high noon light
Pleading to be eaten
But browning at mach speed

Two teenage girls
Gathered food in bags
Off to sell their own produce
Flesh made servile for men

Men’s every day refusal to pay for love
Lessons learned painfully early
Little goes as they’d like
Unless of course
They aspire to nothing

Back in cardboard city
The mangos prove over ripe
But the limes squirt their juices
Splattering beautiful eyes
Making thankful tears of joy
Another day’s survival

Many believe
Everything’s perfect
Whatever that be
Copyright © | Year Posted 2013

Poem

Post Comments

Poetrysoup is an environment of encouragement and growth so only provide specific positive comments that indicate what you appreciate about the poem. Negative comments will result your account being banned.

Please Login to post a comment

Mehta Avatar
September 28, 2013 at 9:07 AM
thought provoking and inner feelings well expressed, Odin
Get a Premium Membership
Turn off ads, get more exposure for your poetry, and get more features with a Premium Membership.
Book: Diverse Voices: The Poetry of Human Rights and the Pursuit of Peace