Keith Landrum- Two Poems

The Price Of Claustrophobia

money is invisible

and we are now left

with simple digits

like 1 and 0

and -$249.56

and it's hard 

to hold on

to a five 

dollar bill

so I ask

where the value is

in a system

that will soon produce 

trillionaires

but I have 

no voice

for those

without 

ears

I am #1

in a world 

of seven billion

number ones

so I am never lonely

or bored

or optimistic

but you'll never find

me 

in a crowd

Peace is Expensive

I drink in the afternoon

and paint pictures

of riots

in defiance

of racism

capitalism

death

I drink

a star's heat

without pledge

prayer

or promise

because sometimes 

I can't 

carry the weight

of the heart

or spirit

so sometimes 

it's just better 

to forget

sometimes

it's just 

wise

to 

make

mistakes

Bio: Keith Landrum paints, works, draws, writes, and drinks in Chattanooga, TN. His work can be found in various print and online small press publications.