August29th

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The 7 lane high speed traffic artery know as buford highway dances in the midsummer heat of georgia
Knees bent deep and tight into a downhill position – Carving the asphalt on a no name brand fiberglass skateboard weaving between cars traveling 45 miles an hour – the only sign of padding or protection on this 8 year old ARE the strangely shaped knees on his tough skin jeans from 2 many turns in the dryer -
Collar bone length motor oil hair whipping in the wind like a flag screaming WHERE are THIS KID’S PARENTS…………… As our hero passes an AMC pacer ( not so rare for 1978 ) he slaps the back quarter panel and gives the signal – the 2 hoodlums flanking him left and right direct there boards onto the dotted yellow Preparing for a death wish high speed cross traffic turn into a parking lot full of cars in reverse – having cheated death in the way only young boys can, our triad plunge into the BURGER KING – cutting figures more dickensonian than brady bunch
Our street rats have 2 things in common
1 – theIR house key hangs like a perpetual bronze medal around theIR scrawny necks – a symbol to say you’ll always be last place but keep up the good work
2- the one parent they have works around the clock – despite this they live below the poverty level
To be cont.
pardon typos Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T



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2 Comments

  • Comment by rocketqueen — September 1, 2008 @ 3:16 am

    i wish there was a vid 2 accompany this, and yes, unfortunately the latter is true in so many cases. the plight of the ‘working poor’ is astounding. the large foot of ‘corporate america’ can sleep at nite on 1000 thread, egyptian cotton sheets, that would cost an underpaid worker 1 weeks whole pay. mmmm, so much 4 industrialised societies………….X

  • Comment by Sanlin — September 2, 2008 @ 4:02 am

    The pressure on what used to be even the solid ‘Middle Class’ has increased, over the past several years, until it has become a crushing weight. People used to have lifelong careers, but now they often have to switch professions several times over their lifetime. For their efforts and retraining, they might end up getting paid less than the kids flippin’ burgers inside a Burger King. A lot of companies only keep the majority of their employees until just before they’d have to start paying them benefits. Situations change so rapidly that by the time people *can* retrain, the jobs in their new profession may no longer be there or the positions might be filled by someone willing (or desperate enough) to work for less money and fewer benefits. I’ve seen too many people grow old and gray before their time. I’ve watched them worrying, constantly, about supporting their families and working themselves into their graves, trying to get by. The amount of credit card debt racked up is staggering and too many people are living paycheck to paycheck–if they’re lucky. Poverty impacts everything: health costs, educational opportunities, family relations, community spirit and crime rates. Better technology, in general, has only meant that people wind up working even more unpaid hours outside of their ‘regular’ work schedule. It’s even harder on single-parent families. I don’t know how some people keep going. Then, gas and grocery prices went through the roof. Many families are facing default on the mortgages for their family homes or losing the places they rent for similar reasons. People are working harder and longer than ever before, but falling further and further behind.

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