The Disconnect by Jason de Koff

The Disconnect

You never wrote,
the oak tree’s name,
upon the house it bore.
Instead you placed,
your name and number,
above the open stoop.

The soil you scraped,
to build your life,
was sold to another zip code.
To bring bounty to,
another scarred surface,
exporting hard won gold.

The grass in front,
was exactly the color,
you ordered from the store.
Though I never,
saw a single animal,
graze upon its leaves.

But if a beggar,
has some askance,
you turn his face away.
As if some deficit,
in his soul,
were worse than the one in yours.

Jason de Koff is an associate professor of agronomy and soil science at Tennessee State University.  He lives in Nashville, TN with his wife, Jaclyn, and his two daughters, Tegan and Maizie.  He has published in a number of scientific journals, and has over 50 poems published or forthcoming in literary journals this year. 
My social media:Twitter: @JasonPdK3

Read the rest of issue one here.