the hippies called
the puerto ricans
spics
the puerto ricans
called the hippies
cabrones

not much love
there
but mostly
they got along

sharing the dirt
and hopeless
avenues

i knew a girl
with long legs
and longer hair
who stood barefoot
on the corner of
110th Street and
Lexington Avenue
selling flowers

she only had
one gift to give
and she gave it

and in the rain
her petals
washed down
the gutters

and magically
made the streets
clean again

   ~mce