Fire Through Dry Grass

Season 36 Episode 3612 | 1h 22m 59s | Video has closed captioning. | Video has audio description

Wearing snapback caps and Air Jordans, the Reality Poets don’t look like typical nursing home residents. In Fire Through Dry Grass, these young, Black and brown disabled artists document their lives on lockdown during Covid, using their poetry and art to underscore the danger and imprisonment they feel. In the face of institutional neglect, they refuse to be abused, confined, and erased.

Aired: 10/30/23

Expires: 06/30/24

Rating: TV-14

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Funding & Distribution
Transcript

Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and the …

Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from Nancy Blachman and David desJardins, Bertha Foundation, The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Charitable Trust, Park Foundation, Sage Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Abby Pucker, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.

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♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Seagulls calling ] ♪♪ [ Sirens wailing ] ♪♪ [ Waves crashing ] [ Fire crackling ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Car horns honking in distance, siren wailing ] [ Seagulls calling ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Applause ] [ Laughter ] [ Applause ] [ Cheers and applause ] [ Man rapping indistinctly ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Siren wailing in distance ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Camera beeps ] [ Wheelchair whirring ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Smooches ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Mouse clicks ] ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversations in distance ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Sirens wailing in distance ] -[ Chuckles ] [ Sirens wailing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversation ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Rooster crows ] ♪♪ [ Camera beeps ] [ Camera beeps ] [ Siren wailing in distance ] -[ Coughing ] [ Moaning ] [ Sparks fizzling ] ♪♪ -[ Groans ] [ Laughter ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversation in distance ] [ Gunshot fires ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Gunshot fires ] ♪♪ [ Computer mouse clicking ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Television playing indistinctly ] ♪♪ [ Siren wailing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Television playing indistinctly ] ♪♪ [ Waves crashing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Wings fluttering ] ♪♪ [ Camera beeps ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversation ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Geese honking ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Soledad.

Una cosa no se puede hablar.

La soledad es una cosa que te puede matar.

Yo me siento solo.

Me siento triste.

Mamá, por favor, ¿dónde te escondiste?

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Indistinct conversation in distance ] [ Cellphone keyboard clacking ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Geese honking ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Waves crashing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Exhales shakily ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Mamá, sin tu amor yo me voy a morir.

Yo fui muy malo.

Eso yo lo entiendo.

Pero sin tu cariño, yo me voy muriendo.

Mamá, por favor, dame una oportunidad y sácame de esta soledad.

Soledad.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -♪ What would you do if you was in my shoes?

♪ ♪ Sittin' in a wheelchair, can't nothin' move, nothin' ♪ ♪ But I gotta stay focused, man, I gotta stay on my grind ♪ ♪ It's mind over matter, man, and I'm gonna shine ♪ ♪ Yeah, what would you do if you was in my shoes?

♪ ♪♪ -Nursing home!

-Nursing home!

-Lives matter!

[ Cheers and applause ] [ Cheers and applause ] [ Cheering ] [ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ [ Siren wailing ] [ Elevator bell dings ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Camera beeps ] [ Wheelchair whirring ] [ Indistinct conversation ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -There we go.

[ Cheers and applause ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ [ Birds chirping ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -See the buildings.

-[ Chuckles ] -[ Laughs ] -[ Laughs ] [ Waves crashing ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -♪ Fire through dry grass is what we experienced ♪ ♪ Body after body, gurney after gurney, siren after siren ♪ ♪ They're tryin' to end our journey ♪ ♪ No separation, what the hell?

♪ ♪ But I'mma tell it, I'mma tell it, let the whole world know ♪ ♪ What really, really happened, yeah ♪ -♪ Wait, nah, nah, V, don't do it ♪ ♪ Don't do it, V, don't do it ♪ -♪ Get 'em, get 'em, get 'em, V ♪ -♪ Politics over lives to them is what it seemed like ♪ ♪ Lies on top of lies ♪ ♪ Our families crying, screaming, "Oh, why?"

♪ ♪ While the bodies pile up, they let the money pile up ♪ ♪ Stay woke, pay attention, 'cause it was ♪ -♪ Fire, fire, fire through dry grass ♪ ♪ Fire, fire, fire through dry grass ♪ ♪ Fire, fire, fire through dry grass ♪ ♪ Fire ♪ ♪ Fire ♪ -♪ It is very rare ♪ ♪ That you ever see someone like me ♪ ♪ But I'm a Reality Poet, so you better know it ♪ ♪ Now listen to our reality flow through your speakers ♪ ♪ Get in tune with it, OPEN DOORS ♪ ♪ We on the rise, and we promise to never, ever, ever fold ♪ ♪ And always fight for what we believe in, always ♪ ♪ And forever ever, we be in our own world just spinnin' around ♪ ♪ Hopin' when we go to sleep ♪ ♪ God let us open our eyes and see the sun come up ♪ ♪ And I pray that all my people come up ♪ -♪ Fire, fire, fire through dry grass ♪ ♪ Fire, fire, fire through dry grass ♪ ♪ Fire, fire ♪ ♪ Fire through dry grass ♪ ♪ Fire, fire ♪ -♪ No matter ♪ ♪ Of the unfortunate circumstances ♪ ♪ Reality Poets, we still chasing this paper ♪ ♪ We went corporate, now we too legit to quit, MC Hammer ♪ ♪ When you start speaking up now you Public Enemy ♪ ♪ Lookin' at us like, "So what?"

That ain't no kid to me ♪ Yo, man, before you ever think you can do this to us again, man, think twice.

Reality Poets, man, speaking up for all.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪