The Looting

Jeremy Szuder

photo credit: Jeremy Szuder

The first thing they did was
break out all the windows of my room.
A few dozen old suits stormed in
through smoke and haze—  

the symbolic blaze.
One of them waved a can of
red spray paint against my inner walls
to write, “KILL THE KIDS!”

Then the real looting began.
They took the happy memories
of my family and friends.
They took the smiles from my 

children’s faces, each tooth
one at a time, placed into their
stodgy velvet ransacks.
They took the long deep gulps 

of cold water that ran across
rocky rivers away from the dry
throats of wild horses who I had
lead to the bank's edge to drink. 

And when I thought all the shelves
of my sanctum were stripped bare,
they took the ease of my walk
and the joy in my talk as I spoke

to all of those who crossed my path
and chose to willingly enter my abode,
my storefront, my personal space.
None of them ever questioning  

who I was or what I stood for.

Jeremy Szuder is a chef by night and creator of poetry and illustration work by day. His past track record in the arts includes; 15 years as a musician in various bands (drums, vocals), graphic design work for clothing/skateboard companies, 25 plus years of self published Zines, showings of fine art in the underground art scene, a 10 year plus stint spinning vinyl at various events all across the city, and at present time continues to have both illustrations and poems published by over a dozen fine art and literary publications all across the U.S.A. as well as Canada. Jeremy Szuder continues to call Los Angeles California via Glendale his home at present.