Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Ode to a Republican Tax Plan

The devil will give you candy
and pat you on the head
and make you think you're better off
by following his plans.
He'll show bullet points on paper
but stop you from turning the page
"Just take your sweet treats and we'll take care of the rest!"
Is what he always says.
But the rest isn't a sweet nap,
It's a long and twisted night.
and no matter how you reach and lurch
you can't turn on the light.

Friday, March 10, 2017

Mettle

We dance and we leap,
paint fine facial features, sing arias,
build bridges, streets and cityscapes.
We tend to our children
and the weakest among us.

We kill and we creep,
go along to get along, justify,
demolish subtle ideas.
We abandon ourselves
like an addict exhausted.

Capable of everything possible
we can be magnificent,
and also we can
lose conscience and tenacity.
Calls for optimism become

some long lost book
of famous last words
found buried deep in rubble
by anthropological sorts
in a future to be determined.

No mettle, compassion, or commitment to love
constitutes a cycle of abuse.

Look at pictures of armies for tyrants
and civilizations that fall to the will—
some for lack of support, some may surmise
that some dictated end justifies
fueling the hate, and Hate lies.

So: No.
Mettle, compassion, and commitment to love.
Break the cycle of abuse.

Look at pictures of activists for peace
and societies that stand up to the cruel—
some for show of support, some may surmise
that what speaks for our species thrives
in nurturing empathy, and Empathy arrives.

Yes.
Mettle.
Compassion, and commitment to love break the cycle of abuse.
We dance and we leap
in a future to be determined.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Underneath a Stormy Sea

Underneath a stormy sea
that'd pitch a ship and wobble sealegs,
that'd hitch a hip to bend to nausea
that'd already shifted the seabirds inland for shelter
fish swim
in beautiful caverns.