White Elephants in the Cider House
I’m against abortion
I’m against the death penalty
I’m against all killing
I won’t even squash a bug
But I can’t stop anyone
From having an abortion
Just like I can’t stop
Anyone from committing murder
The thought of having a child
Or aborting it is
A difficult decision
Not an easy choice; certainly
But if one decides
To do it
I want them
To be safe
I knew a girl
Who had an abortion
When she was 16
She was young
Made a mistake
And had to
Make a tough choice
Altering the rest of her life
I knew a girl
Who decided to
Abort her child
When she was in college
She wasn’t ready for kids
And didn’t want to quit school
She’s dealing with post-traumatic stress
For killing her child
I knew a girl
Who got pregnant
By a married man
He forced her to abort
So no one would discover
He had been unfaithful
She did it because
She thought she loved him
I used to say abortion
Should be okay for rape victims
But I thought that child
Born under horrible circumstances
Could grow up and make
The world a better place
I will never take away someone’s
Right to make that choice
I will always advocate
Against abortion and
Any kind of killing
But if I know someone
Who makes that choice
I will stand beside them
And support them
With their difficult decision
Closing Time with Steve
The digital sign reads closed
And the automatic locks turn on
It’s 10 p.m. and the general store is closed
But Steve’s day isn’t done
He must count the receipts
And fix any errors before
Plugging in and sleeping for the night
The math is easy for a machine
But his battery doesn’t last
As long as it used to
He’ll have to call a repair bot
And have them tinker while he works
He can’t take time off
His fellow mechanoids need to shop
From the poetry collection Men Are Garbage.
James Pack 