An ode to Mayor Pete
Welcome to South Bend, Indiana,
our airport screams
A state that works and a presidential campaign
that didn't
We hate unions but we are open
for business
Except our swimming pools, made famous
for not letting Blacks swim
Mayor Pete, you marched
at our Pride Parade as a proud
army veteran and still, you failed Jodie Henderson:
A Black Vet beaten to death in your streets, because he was gay
And still, you can’t get a hate crime law,
but you slice into a rainbow cake
and you dance with the po-po in our schools
on redlines
Don’t visit Indiana
they call the capitol naptown for reason
Don't get hung up in our parks
State Park photos are included in memoriams
Don't get tied up in tourism
It will kill you…
Like Abram Smith
Like Thomas Shipp
Like that famous spectacle lynching photograph made famous here,
in the State of Indiana!
About Charles Payne
Charles Payne, M. Ed is a Madison transplant, a certified teacher, and a self-taught spoken word artist from Michigan. His work explores personal narrative and social commentary. He is the firstborn of a strict father and naïve mother. As a child, he loved hearing the sound of Paul Harvey's voice, whose innate ability to describe every intricate detail truly inspired Charles to tell stories himself. Charles has won the Moth's first ever Central Grandslam (Chicago), Charles has recorded a TEDx talk with St. Edward's University (Texas), performed at the 3rd annual Madison Moth Grandslam (Wisconsin), the National Poetry Slam (North Carolina), and Individual World Poetry Slam (Washington), and other showcases across the country. And yes, he can't wait to give you the rest of the story.