That should be obvious
Of course it won’t
Any fool knows that.
Even in the winter.
Consider for a moment.
What?
Consider what!
They never have.
Why now?
Certainly it means nothing.
It’s all a lie.
What else could it be?
That’s right.
Sure.
Any way you look at it.
A silk hat.
A fat belly.
A nice church to squat in.
My holy ass…
What should they care about?
It’s quaint.
Twelve kids on the fire escape…
Flowers on the windowsill…
You’re damn right.
That’s the way it is.
That’s just the way it is.
The Slums
Analysis, meaning and summary of Kenneth Patchen's poem The Slums
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