“If You See Something, Say Something”

— slogan repeated endlessly over intercoms, etc. at South Station, Boston MA USA, on 4/18/2013, three days after Boston Marathon bomb attack

 I see
some dressed in
military uniforms, desert camo,
black body armor, no visible weapons 
as I get off the train at South Station

I see 
black ripstop jackets, tan khakis, black body armor, M-16s
logo of POLICE/HOMELAND SECURITY
shield patches on caps
as I get off the train at South Station

I see
cops and
guys in civvies talking into their hands
dogs and
all of the aforementioned
as I get off the train
at South Station
walk through downtown Boston
toward City Hall Plaza
toward the Federal Building

I see more and more
M-16s
Glocks
H and K 9mm autos
the deeper I get into
the symbolic City

a small well equipped army outside
the Old State House
City Hall
the Federal Building
the Big Apple Circus
set up in between them

Street sweeper shotguns
on some of the black-clad cops
inside the JFK Building —
why?  
What mob do they fear
having to disperse?

Everyone of them
in dark, dark sunglasses —
no idea what they’re watching
If they see something
they say something

They must have seen something
because they’re shaking down
an older Black guy
in a bucket hat
right outside the Building
He’s scuffling his Crocs
and shaking his head
saying nothing 
or nothing good

as Street Sweeper says
firmly
cordially

“you start giving me
an explanation
that makes sense
or we’re going down
another road”

which 
based on
what I’ve seen
we’re on 
already