Fee Free for Me but Not for Thee

by Marco Katz Montiel / December 21st, 2025

“Free days are patriotic in nature,”
Not meant for any individual.
So says the bill from the legislature,
So, they decided on this renewal.

So goodbye Martin and goodbye Juneteenth,
Although there’s nothing more patriotic
Than a celebration on June Nineteenth
Of the end of the most idiotic,

Hypocritical, and unsavory
Three-fifths jargon of the Constitution
That kept up the practice of slavery
And led to the breakup of the nation.

Now there’s no Martin for free anymore,
But for Trump: well, you get what you pay for.

Marco Katz Montiel composes poetry and prose in Spanish, English, and musical notes. He went to college late, and then alienated one university by publishing about bigotry on campus and got kicked to the curb by two others for his union activities. Still, Marco managed to graduate and even publish a book on music and literature with Palgrave. His essays, poems, and stories appear in Ploughshares, Jerry Jazz Music, English Studies in Latin America, Copihue Poetry, Camino Real, WestWard Quarterly, Lowestoft Chronicle, Dissident Voice, and in the anthologies Cartas de desamor y otras adicciones, There’s No Place, and the Capital City Press Anthology. Read other articles by Marco Katz, or visit Marco Katz's website.

This article was posted on Sunday, December 21st, 2025 at 8:00am and is filed under Poetry.