Writing in the dark
is hard, requires balance,
leaning on insight.
Things do not smell right
despite heightened sense of smell
and story to tell.
Writing in the dark
makes hard to appreciate
journalists who fall.
Things are now hidden
behind false information.
See? Nothing at all.
And, so it goes down:
free speech, free press, redress.
Democracy Dark!
I see patterns, not the dead.
Patterns of the dead and dying, instead.
Death by a thousand cuts,
every strength lessened in a labor force,
in flight controllers, educators, hospitals,
F.B.I and military personnel, as well.
Saving money is not the purpose;
but, stealing money to fill the purses
of family and those who hold the cards,
greedy sots who play so hard
they have forgotten how to work
if they ever knew how.
No sweat on their flinty-eyed brow.
The hunger games have now begun.
Watching suffering is part of their fun.
Crying children with aching bellies,
babies once thriving, who will soon be dying.
The weakened working poor and people of color
are always such a weight and bother
to those who seek fortune and fame.
To win, such weak pretenders must play such games.
The cries and shouts are soon drowned out
by Epstein’s files which stretch for miles
across every ocean, their pattern is in motion.
Overpower those you fear and take their power.
Do this day-by-day, hour-by-hour
until they die or wish they could.
Death by a thousand cuts.
Pretend you are doing it for their own good.
Your power is but a sick, slick dream;
a nightmare for hungry children who scream.
Banks profit off your every scheme and stay silent
while you threaten and demean those who show
who you really are, and strive to make clear
this is not who most of us are, or wish to be.
But, too many agree. Too many refuse to see
the patterns they have watched on TV screens
for so many generations that it is destroying a nation.
I see patterns, not the dead.
So busy feeding the hungry we have little time to fight
those who create patterns of dominance and fright
robbing us of the wealth which once fueled our success.
Now, our very democratic existence is under duress.
This is part pf the plan of the Heritage Foundation,
who has shaken the core the the Republican Party so hard
it no longer exists as a proud opposition.
It has become the source of a free people’s annihilation.
I see patterns. I see the plan has been set in motion.
Now, I ask, countryman and women to show their devotion
to a nation entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
where all are created free as a basic right of creation.
Even the pictures on the wall
are tilted to the right.
Was there another disturbance overnight?
A tweet, and email, a deep-meet out of sight?
Did I stay asleep to avoid another fright?
When dawn came to anew and renew me
I woke to the strengthening light.
I straightened every picture on every wall.
Was all this only a nightmarish dream after all?
I suddenly feel stronger, the longer I recall
what the world looked like before America’s fall.
Once again, I vow, Americans will be able to stand tall.
This is what you say:
What experience do you have?
This is what they hear:
You will never get a job.
This is what they think:
How can I get experience
if no one hires without it?
This is what you say:
What income and collateral have you?
This is what they hear:
I cannot get a small-business loan.
This is what they think:
No one will hire me and I cannot
start a business of my own.
This is what you say:
Your college loans are over-due.
This is what they hear:
We are going to ruin you.
This is what they think:
I cannot get a job or a loan.
Guess I must move back home.
Failure never felt so certain
to the young Americans
who believed with such purpose
that it would be possible to get ahead.
Now, too many live in dread.
And way too many
wish they were dead.
Is this the America we want?
Is this the America we were promised?
What folly has greed wrought?
What tax system created this rot ?
That only those with wealth
can exercise their rights
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Youth have eyes open wide,
open to all that seems new.
The aged close their tired eyes
hoping nothing at all will change.
But, the aged and their folly shall pass.
America’s promise shall be renewed,
as sure as day follows night.
Vote as if the lives of the young
depend upon you doing what is right.
Because, their lives depend upon you.
They most assuredly do.
Most of us have been away from the gym too long.
Our freedom-loving muscles have grown slack.
We had not fully recognized the slack.
Others noted the weakness
of our democratic body.
We went about our day aware that each act
became more difficult, more strenuous.
Success became less assured, more tenuous.
While we grew soft, life grew hard.
We could no longer lift our children above our heads.
Their safety could not be assured;
not only on the playground monkey bars,
but behind their desk, or sitting in church pews.
Even our voices became more feeble
as we stopped the exercise of free speech,
and bemoaned the simple act
of marching down the street.
But others watched and saw our weakness grow.
Knew we were no longer paying attention
to our former strength and ignoring our work-outs,
while we flaunted more the medals on our chests
and the trophies on our shelves.
We no longer recalled how we earned those awards.
We forgot the daily struggle at life’s gymnasium
to keep the muscles of self-governance
strong enough to take on new challenges and ideas.
Our weakness made us run from, instead of with,
others racing along the path to freedom.
We envied their success, our own no longer moving
us forward and ahead.
The only way the weak can win is by holding others back.
The truly strong can win by running hard and long.
We all looked away from those who cheat
to claim a win they do not deserve.
It feels too close to every nerve
now weakened within each lax muscle;
a republic struggling just to stay upright.
Religion becomes the panacea of anxious nights.
We can only hope our muscle-memory
of freedoms gained in the past
is strong enough to make our democracy last.
Back to the gym. Walk the streets. Shout the speech
that you recall in memory grown weak.
Build back the muscle needed to wield your voting power.
Now is the hour
to get back to the gym.
Be strong and carry on!
Nature restores balance
upset by human hands
on air and sea and land.
Government becomes unbalanced
when leaders fail to understand
no government can serve us
when controlled by a single man.
No single party can control
a seamless governance of the whole.
Power unbalanced is doomed to fail.
History and Nature tell the tale.
Diversity is the golden rule of life,
counteracting hidden strife
as it strives to interact and share
what keeps the planet alive and fair,
what makes us glad to be alive.
Cooperation is not just wise.
It is the seed of all that grows.
It is the only means Nature knows
to grow the wheat and the rose,
to water the farmland and dry the bog,
to cool summer heat and fire winter’s log,
to spread seeds on the breeze of dawn
and weight the wind blowing too strong.
We have run away from Nature far too long.
We have forgotten to listen to Nature’s song.
We have been singing a discordant tune
to instruments so loud, the song is ruined.
But Nature always restores balance.
It is the base note of Nature’s parlance.
Take off your shoes and walk in the grass.
Feel the freedom you feared lost in the past.
Turn your face into the wind and hold tight.
Feel the freedom you feared lost beyond your sight.
Wade in puddles catching raindrops on your tongue.
Feel the freedom you feared lost and with hands wrung.
We fear we have no way to save our nation.
But Nature gives us a new generation
every spring and through every season
Nature restores our world and our reason.
Balance of Power is the song of the hour.
MAGA CIRCUS
The clown leads the circus parade
Following the elephant ahead,
Carrying shovels to clean up the way,
And invite us under the tent.
The clown interrupts each display
Of circus performers’ great feats.
The clown make us laugh to distraction
And keeps us in our seats.
The clown is what we best recall,
For memories are short.
We may not remember what we see.
But, we remember how hard we laughed.
The circus is not a school to teach.
The circus is a business to empty our pockets
Until it once more moves on.
The circus is not a church where we pray.
But a place we feel it is okay to play.
When the tent stakes are pulled and the circus train pulls away
All that remains is an empty field
Trod into mud on rainy days.
MY FELLOW AMERICANS
I hold my tongue.
It takes strength I do not have.
Whimpers escape
On shattered breaths,
In silent screams.
The fight worries my soul,
Battle weary and choking,
On words held tight inside.
Once the scream begins
I doubt I could stop.
I wait for your speech.
I yearn for your promise
To stop the authoritarian
Who has taken over our house,
Emptied its vaults,
Stolen its wealth,
Sold its power
To the highest bidders.
So, I write. That I can do
While I wait for you.
To me, this nothing new.
Do you believe me now?
The people’s house is no more.
Oh, the structure still stands,
It’s East Wing destroyed.
It rose garden paved over.
Its grounds defaced.
It is no longer democracy’s safe space.
No woman, nor child yet protected.
Hidden files of pedophilia and rape
Keep Republican representatives
Of the people away.
No chance to obstruct
as we fearfully watch all we love destruct.
Money directed from its appropriated place
Into the pockets of the man in disgrace,
Who crowns himself king,
And demands all kiss his ring.
Our right to rule ourselves now firmly displaced
By cruelty and hate,
absent a single moment of grace.
There are no longer two sides.
None of us are left with any pride.
We the people now have no place.
Unless we stand together to fight
The destruction of freedoms that are our constitutional right.
Wake up.
Sit at the table.
Open the MacBook.
Click on the key.
Open Pages.
Take a deep breath.
What new horror?
Unlock the jaw.
Try to forget.
Relax the fingers.
Swallow the sigh.
Move the cursor.
Try not to cry.
Who was stolen overnight?
Who was charged?
What new non-crime planted?
What court noted what lies?
With what order do they not comply?
What illegal moves have they made?
When will law once again rule the day?
Discover anger and fear drops away.
There is beauty outside.
There is love everywhere.
Take a deep breath.
Breathe slow and deep.
Beg the silent watchers to wake.
Do not despair.
This has become my mourning prayer.
As a lawyer, I am in deep mourning over the DOJ and SCOTUS breech with Constitutional law, precedent and ethics. The law is king in the United States. No man is above it. Apparently, leaders of this current republican-controlled administration believe they are our now our “supreme leaders”. Speaker Johnson keeps the House of Representatives on vacation for another week, and refuses to swear in an elected official to protect the release of files naming powerful pedophiles and rapists. A private army in masks, with no names, kidnap citizens and non-citizens and disappear them. This is evil done in our name. Seven million speak out. But, most do not. They go about their day, perhaps complaining about high prices. As if that is what the true issue is. When hate and destruction attempt to rule over all of us. The White House is being deconstructed both physically and morally. Pray with me, even if you lack the will to fight with me.
annarino writes 