The dark side of living in the suburbs of Houston.

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I'm living in the shallow end of the pool
The place, the people, and the politics

I'm living in a place almost at swamp level
The land, the minds, and the lifestyles

I'm in a place where every wrong resides
The weather, the religion, and the profits

The sickness in the belly of the beast
Is right here on the curve of the fetid gulf

They congregate here on the hurricane edge
To convince themselves of their convictions

They sit on the ragged shore and flick ash
At the East and West, jealous and afraid

They spout their viciousness at the world
Talk tough, consume, pollute, and drink

Self-righteous in their bitter wrongness
Holier than thou in their devilish designs

Ready to destroy the world in God's name
And wave the flag as they scuttle the ship

I'm struggling in the murky waters
Beating my head on the bayou bottom

I'm choking on the roots that entangle me
In the dark and shallow end of the pool

Authors Bio:

Jim Bush is a 67 year old, Vietnam-era veteran, currently living in Texas. He was raised in a military family. His father received the Silver Star for directing troops while under air attack at Clark Field in the Phillipines, survived the Bataan Death March, and spent three and a half years in a Japanese POW camp. He also received the Purple Heart for wounds received while a  POW. Jim served as an army photographer in Okinawa and Korea. In 1987 he traveled to the war zones of Nicaragua with a veteran's group dedicated to stopping the Contra War.