What a great idea.
In our democracy,
Let’s make it
Harder to vote
For certain people.
Erect additional obstacles,
Require photo I.D. to vote,
After all, you need
Identification for other things,
Your papers please.
Posse of stunted children
Sitting around a table,
Reinforcing each other’s
Pain, fear, anxiety,
Changing world.
Losing power,
Lash out against the powerless,
Limit their rights,
Cling to waning,
Perceived supremacy.
Past events dictating
Present behavior,
Unconsciously adhering to
Erroneous messages
Leading to calamity.
Open the window,
Breathe in the promise of
Vibrant panoramas,
Fresh possibilities flowing
Joyfully forward.
I’m on my phone.
I’m on my phone.
Important as the next.
I’m on my phone.
I’m on my phone.
Furiously feeding my soul.
I’m on my phone.
I’m on my phone.
It will matter someday.
It’s not that funny when you’re the object of
Scorn and manipulation, subtly executed.
Stand right here for eighteen years,
I’ll show you what it’s like.
Difficult to make out any one thing let alone
Remember the specific time I failed under its
Growing weight. Slow motion immobilization.
Come now, I’ll tell you more about it.
Let us relive those glory days when,
Big as a mountain, you saw fit to
Slide into the valley silencing all
But your conscience.
From all corners
Of the globe,
The stench of
Inhumanity emerges,
Wearing different clothes,
Speaking different tongues,
Yet always soiled with
Hatred, intolerance, fear,
External and internal violence
Perpetrated heartlessly,
Offering nothing but
Agony, hopelessness, cruelty.
She walked out of my dreams and
Into my van. I did not know her but
She said she was supposed to meet
Me there, preordained happenstance.
Stopping at a dusty convenience store
Purchasing sustenance of dubious merit.
Exchanging pleasantries and searching for
Clarity. Back on the road enjoying the
Wind blowing through our uncertainty.
Quick bites,
Manageable chunks,
Empty platitudes
Satisfy cravings.
Minions inadvertently,
Eagerly doing the
Bidding for plutocrats.
Hone the message,
Muddy the waters,
Reap the rewards,
Funnel the spoils upward,
Perpetuate the cycle.
Close your mind and go to sleep.
Don’t let pesky knowledge interfere with
Hard-fought obstinacy and practiced
Fact resistance. Cherish the slumber of
Those who sleep awake.
Carefully orchestrated,
Purposefully planned and
Coordinated derogation of
Community organizing.
Chuckling in their suites,
Shaking their heads,
How easy to instigate,
Perpetuate the movement.
Concerted effort
Masquerading as populism,
Passionate followers
Marching in unison.
