"Only in a Small Town"
(The Kind of Small Town that let Ruby Bridges Down)
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"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...
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…
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…
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…
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.
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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