Rising rents Doesn’t seem to care Who they affect The City could care less The mayor giving Tax breaks Playing high stakes With peoples lives The landlord Controlling the soundboard With rent control Now seen as a nuisance No one used to want to live here But now they do They say there is not enough housing To fit they appetites Well don’t be so hungry Don’t be so greedy Share a space Don’t displace Contemplate actions Homeless shelters Next to highrises Single occupant Apartments Could fill ten beds Instead of one head Even Jack gets kicked out The bar that supplies the ghost Is a poetic footnote To the money hungry Seeing dollars Instead of history The nations remaining Black bookstore Painted The Color Purple Now shut down By monied clowns Stating their needs for millions Over millions who need Books Culture Life Instead of ****** glossed over history Without a shred of the past Marcus Books Where Malcolm, Ali, Davis Gathered Now lost To the highest bidder People come People go But the erosion of history Is a swift reality Of the gentrification Of The City