The poet saw every bit of this happen before her own eyes ~ and she will never think of either human economy or labor in the same ways afterward.

*****

Recorded Reading (9:22): https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o76byedv3oyu0tyecle6p/Flour-Power.mp3?rlkey=e4gvtyzhndastsgysxe1crjuh&st=m4cm7lvj&dl=0

*****

Flour Power

Polly’s Pancakes is a place
Where you go to feed your face
Don’t look for it in the town
Only one place it goes down
On a pathway in the sun
Full of people having fun
Far away from cars and trucks
Skyscrapers and bucks

Cash won’t do you any good
In this alter-neighborhood
You will get well fed, all right
Keep your money out of sight
Need for that commodity
In the near vicinity
Completely unnecessary
This we all agree

If you’ll your surroundings suss
There are quite a few of us
Even more than there appear
Fifty thousand people here
Each of whom a presence lent
Willingly participant
Experimentation in
What we may begin

Somewhat beneficially
To future society
Current impasses resolve
As a culture we evolve
Into more awareness we
Greater happiness should see
It’s a science, it’s an art
We’ve just made a start

We meet every year, you know
Where the ancient trees still grow
And when we have left again
Not a trace will here remain
Of our large community
That’s how clean people can be
When responsibility
They calmly, clearly see

It’s not difficult, we find
To our willing selves remind
To go considerately
‘Mongst those our companions be
Human, animal and plant
After all, that’s all that’s meant
By what we call so scarily
The Science of Ecology

If for somebody you care
Don’t throw garbage in his lair
If you offer him a drink
Of that water’s cleanness think
Probably don’t poison him
On convenience’s whim
And of course we let him be
Peaceful in his family

Look around — what do you think?
No mess, no fuss, no woe, no stink
As people do the work, they sing
Somehow we get to everything
To which we daily have to see
In any such community
Nor of sweet leisure are bereft
All seem to have time left

Personal pleasure to pursue:
You talk to me, I talk to you
Embroider, weave, we sculpt and brew
Dancing people smiling view
Folks here like to tend the trees
Help each other, aim to please
And if it creates a smile
Think our afternoon worthwhile

Don’t believe me? Take a walk
Listen to the people talk
As intensely as they might
In a modern city’s blight
With a fashionable frown
Tear a fellow spirit down
Sharing now a loving cup
Talking to bring one up

Notice as you walk the path
Absences of sounds of wrath
Elsewhere “entertainment” are
Scenes of large and little war
With which most folks self surround
Getting so used to the sound
That they unthinking recreate
Audials of pain and hate

Notice as along you go
How our happy faces glow
Not just for those closest to
Lots of smiles are left for you
All wherein this camp you roam
Greeted be with “welcome home”
Tends to be a lack of lack
When your brother has your back

Polly’s Pancakes is just one
Of sev’ral spots they find their fun
Bringing people hungry in
Sending them away again
Nourished for another hour
Fueled by water and by flour
And whatever else might give
Energy to fully live

It a good example be
Of ways in which the energy
Required to run a place like this
Can turn from toil right into bliss
A thousandfold the savings of
Our spending when it’s spent in love
Now since you’re wond’ring what I meant
I’ll tell you how it went

Polly has been dishing out
Pancakes now for just about
Six or maybe seven years
Any hungry face appears
Out she comes her kitchen from
Earthy queen of pancakedom
Bearing in her happy hand
The item in demand

Then not just content with that
Checks out where your head is at
And your healthfulness of heart
Makes of your life hers a part
Smiles at news and shares each woe
By the time it’s time to go
You feel somebody really cares
Comfort’s caught you unawares

Suddenly you stronger feel
Inwardly on even keel
With some joy to give away
To anyone who comes your way
So many folk, visiting her
Discovered they so blessed were
By Polly’s sweet humility
That widely loved she came to be

And thus the practice first began:
The moment Polly’s beat up van
Appeared in camp’s vicinity
A call went out for charity
No need of form or uniform
Phone seducers hired to worm
Maximum money from each man
Collection on the spot began

Each person within hearing range
Contributed a bit of change
A little more, but not a lot
From people who had extra brought
In thanks for their abundance they
Wished some of it to give away
In celebration so to share
With those the year had brought more care

When Polly’s foot first hit the land
They had it ready for her hand
Collected in less than an hour
One solid truckload of good flour
A volunteer then went alone
Into town to use the phone
To place the order, while herself
Queen Polly dusted off her shelf

Nourished in return by they
She never once had asked to pay
Together at such tiny price
Not one had had to think it twice
Then for another fortnight were
Welcome all to come to her
At any time their stomach spoke:
Nobody hungry, no one broke.

One year, it rained right straight on through
For two weeks — I am telling you
The combination with clay ground
Made it hard to get around
So slippery — I’ll tell you twice!
Worse than walking on most ice
Without a ser’ious need to roam
You’d tend to stay at home

But somehow, up that swampy road
Traveled Polly’s Pancakes’ load
Its driver triumphantly brought
His truck into the lower lot
And then did our community
The situation’s challenge see
Hope and desire it as we will
How get that flour up the hill?

Back in the city whoa to us
Who must unload that waiting bus
First the hiring process will
Administrative desktops fill
Announcements in the daily news
Applications, interviews
And then telephone calls of course
To any and to every source

Of information ’bout their past
Whether on the job will last
And governmental monitor
Of earnings any might incur
Insurance liability
And notices cautionary
Safety mats with special tread
Manuals written and read

Not to mention lock and gate
Guard and guard dog lurking late
Floodlights, cameras and more
Computronics in the door
Silent sirens and the lot
Since ‘they’ all want what ‘we’ have got
For right and wrong they have no care
Did we forget to share?

With us, laughing, through the rain
The call for help went out again
Hey brothers, can you lend a hand?
In minutes that whole strip of land
Between the truck and Polly’s was
Full of a line of all of us
Each a balanced stance had found
Feet securely on the ground

And then we smiling folk began
To pass that flour from hand to hand
We made a game of it, you see
The minutes passed jubilantly
And not many minutes either
Never stopped to take a breather
Up that hill without a lag
Came every single bag

Having accomplished our desire
New friends went off to share a fire
And old friends nodded as we said
‘Another challenge put to bed’
And smiled at one another, for
We’ve seen this kind of thing before
Know what it is we all have found
You can too — stick around!

*****

This poet works passionately for the good of her fellowman, seven days a week.

She’s in a pretty bad fix right now ~ already homeless, and now the van she lives in has stopped running. Not a hope of fixing it without donations. One ticket is death. Real.

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