"Only in a Small Town"

(The Kind of Small Town that let Ruby Bridges Down)

By Chris ZPublished 11 months ago • Updated 6 months ago • 1 min read

"Only in a Small Town"

String a gay man to a fence / in the dead of night

Rob him blind, pistol whip him, / leave him there to die.

Put a billboard up / on the road into town

Warning coloreds off / before the sun goes down.

Only in a small town...

A 1st-string letterman / an all-American.

A 16-year-old sophomore / 3 sheets to the wind.

We all know how this ends / I won’t keep you in suspense.

Round here, ‘Boys Will be Boys’ / is a legal defense.

Only in a small town…

Rape’s a mortal sin, / and a felony crime

But our school can’t go to state, / if our Q-Bs doing time.

We fly a flag in esteem / to commemorate the dream

of a defunct and defeated / insurrectionist regime.

Only in a small town…

Another AR-15 / Claims our daughters and our sons

We must do more as a country / to protect our precious guns.

Only in a small town…

The kind of small town / wherein we define

The only moral / abortion as “mine.”

Jesus freaks and teenage brides / opioids and suicides

The type of small town / that let Ruby Bridges down.

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About the Creator

Chris Z

My opinion column garnered more reader responses than any other contributor in the paper's 40-year run. As a stand-up comic, I performed in 16 countries & 26 states. I've written 2 one-man shows, umpteen poems, songs, essays & chronologies.

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