RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN HISTORY
Dust
Bowl Émigré
This
rich and fertile valley
Was made
on the backs of émigré
Not from
somewhere below the border
Nor from
Ireland or Eastern Europe
Not from
Canada or Germany
Nor
Australia or the Far East
The ones
who answered the call
To work
the orchards and fields
To till
the soil and work the land
To pick
the peaches, oranges and nuts
To bring
the crops to market
Were the
poor white folks of Oklahoma
The
tenant farmer of the Dust Bowl
As hard
a worker who ever lived
They
came by hard luck highways
Their
belongings packed on old cars
That
broke down along the way
When
they overcame all hardships
And
finally arrived in the Golden State
They
were called disgraceful names
Okies
and Arkies and dirt farmers
Who came
to take our good jobs
To steal
our women and commit mayhem
To ruin
the state the gold diggers built
But they
didn’t take our good jobs
They
took what others wouldn’t do
They
didn’t steal our women
They
didn’t crimes or mayhem
Any more
than anyone else did
They
were good hard-working people
Poor as
dirt but grim determined
They had
no place else to go
They
became the good citizens
Of the
great central valley
Along
with others of darker skin
Also
good hard-working people
Together
they built the foundations
Of the
great state of Golden Gate
Ironic
ain’t it? that the very same people
Who were
derided and abused yesterday
Deride
and abuse others today
