Recognize Yourself

I turn myself invisible
to navigate these streets
To see and not be seen is what
it takes to make it back intact
Out here on the wild frontier
Where American dreamers meet
You can see the future
by avoiding eye contact

Whenever you see
anybody else
Do you recognize yourself?

People every shade of skin
know the dollar bill is green
Anyone who had enough
would not be out here otherwise
Refugees from everywhere
the dollar bill has been
It’s the one I.D. that
everybody recognize

Systems of immunity
fail to protect
when a body can’t remember
who it is and who it ain’t
So what is community
when histories intersect
and when a house is falling
does it need a coat of paint?

Whenever you see
anybody else
Do you recognize yourself?