“Pocket Activist”

Demitri Camperos

I fumble in seams ―

Skim my wallet for news

Engrossing views

My glued and forward march

Towards that overdue home

Though not what it seems ―

My naked ears still hear

And yet, still here

In cold and passing March

Towards some overdue home

I can’t change the past

I can’t pass the change

I can’t meet your eye

And I can’t look away

 

Artist Statement: This poem evokes a very specific memory of me campaigning for Bernie Sanders while near-penniless in Los Angeles, one of the most expensive places in the nation to live. Fighting for political equity in the slow grind of bureaucracy while passing by those who are immediately impacted by our country's obsession with monetization, the dual strokes of wanting to help in one aspect and feeling utterly unable to in the tangible, urgent other.