Relief

My heart is aching
for them Poles and Greeks
on relief way across the sea
because I was on relief
once in 1933.

I know what relief can be—
it took me two years to get on WPA.
If the war hadn’t come along
I wouldn’t be out the barrel yet.
Now, I’m almost back in the barrel again.

To tell the truth,
if these white folks want to go ahead
and fight another war,
or even two,
the one to stop ’em won’t be me.

Would you?