Tag Archives: evil

STRONG OF HEART

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Hardened hearts break easily,

leaving broken pieces to fall

as heavy weights of brute strength,

and painful threats strewn about the streets

bathed in pepper gas and tears

of gas dripping over the faces of our children,

our elderly, our disabled; all allies

of the young who’s futures face flash bangs

of deceit and fraud and outright theft.

All of us thrown to the ground 

stumped and stamped upon

by those whose hardened hearts

keep breaking and flung about in rage.

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The hearts of those who protest are soft.

They are known for their easy acceptance.

They are berated for their ease of conscience.

Such hearts cannot break apart.

They are part of one eternal heart.

The hearts of protesters are soft, but firm.

Such soft hearts are resolute and unbreakable.

Their love of country and of one another

continue to beat strong and full of love.

Such hearts always remember to BE GOOD.

The only way to stop strong hearts

is to capture, perhaps kill, them.

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Hearts connected to one another

always continue to beat on.

Ukraine’s heart beats on.

Gaza’s heart beats on.

Sudan’s heart beats on.

Iran’s heart beats on.

Greenland’s heart beats on.

Canada’s heart beats on.

Central America’s heart beats on.

South America’s heart beats on.

The European Union’s heart beats on.

Minneapolis’ heart beats on.

Chicago’s heart beats on.

Los Angeles’ heart beats on.

The United States of America’s heart beats on.

Freedom’s heart beats strong, 

and beats on, now and forever.

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NIGHT TERRORS

Night closes in

tightfisted, grasping,

leaking tears from the sky

mingled with snow,

cold and deadening

of all senses, and all sense.

until we are afraid to let go.

At this hour dawn seems too far away

to make any difference at all.

Too much can happen while held tight

in night’s eerie thrall;

and bound thus, body carefully trussed,

will-power to overcome threats

has no power at all.

Words cannot fully replace fear

as unexpected threats draw near,

in dreams stuffed as pillows

embroidered by past ill deeds

viewed on media screens.

Knowing even worse lies ahead

who could remain in  bed?

It used to be we welcomed each new day.

Now, we stretch out night’s hours

to avoid awakening too soon

to hear the new day’s notice of doom

spewed by text and on X

all night through.

Hate will soon raise its head, right on cue.

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EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE

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How easily done depends

on the sinner and sin done that day.

No “ I lay me down to sleep”

before this Catholic child closed her eyes.

An examination of conscience, 

a deep and complete review 

of my sins committed that day, as I prayed

in true contrition for my sins; and a promise

to make restitution to all I had harmed

in my self-centered, humanly-corrupted way.

Only then, could forgiveness be petitioned

and God swayed. Sister told me so in class.

Father told me so in the dark confessional.

I await an examination of conscience by all

who voted for MAGA  entranced and enthralled

by promises of heavenly and earthly reward

for allowing hate to invade and invoke

the souls of nation recently made awoke

by African-Americans and women who showed

they were equally great to any American.

Make America Great Again only meant

make America white again.

And my church paved the way.

Her misogyny always ready to deprive

women of any control over 

the length of their skirts,

the choice to love or escape 

abuse in any man’s embrace,

manage their reproductive health,

choose or excuse another’s hate.

Abortion became the rallying cry

to bring sinners off their knees and to the polls

to vote for the liars who played priests like fools.

There is no place for judgment or blame.

Sinners all, we play the same game.

There is a need for an examination of conscience,

for restitution to a nation’s sacred tenets defamed

by such reckless, sincere but sinful moves.

Now, priests and pastors see the error of their ways

as they accompany immigrants to hearings

to protect them from MAGA misrule?

The MAGA the churches helped elect

is not a surprise. And, it remains a sin to be

examined deeply, and completely reviewed.

I await the results of such a self-examination.

I await the restitution to be completed.

I await the apology for distorting Christian theology.

I await the chance to forgive, wholeheartedly.

I know my church is only human.

If only it could remember that truth.

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EVIL ADDS UP

Not all of us are good at sums.

Math seems an unknown language

But, Here’s a rule of thumb

we all can glean,

“Evil adds up”

ignored if not unseen

by passersby who briefly notice

the drunk huddled with his rum

in the doorway, 

below the underpass

as they scurry by.

Integers of one

are not the same one as I,

we tell ourselves.

That one is different

than the one who is I.

Integers add up 

in natural disasters.

Tornados, hurricanes

fires and floods

multiply the integers

until the numbers draw the light

of media to their plight,

for awhile.

The numbers are reduced

by such attention.

When media lights go off

we passersby forget the

need to finish the subtraction.

Not a single drunk,

but entire blocks of numbers

are left in evil’s hold,

seeking shelter and warm beds,

a drink of water, a loaf of bread.

Crime lords and government

corruption and economic destruction

multiply exponentially the evil done

to entire communities

forced to flee to safety as refugees.

Evil adds up until its mass

is beyond measure

as we passersby seek our pleasure.

A father and daughter on a park bench

in Merry Old England after touching 

the handle as they closed their door,

poisoned by secret police abroad,

sent from Putin and his minions

whose minions are legion,

fallen angels from The Cold War,

who explore every nation

with a single message,

“You cannot hide from evil.”

There is no place to run

as evil has been left to grow,

to multiply beyond every border

of the New World Order.

The people of Ukraine know this well,

after years of dividing  their nation 

from the hell they struggle to quell.

They are not mere passersby

to the evil driving tanks in their streets,

sending missiles into buildings

where children dwell.

Each piece of war equipment tallied

and accounted for. 

Numbers measured on both sides

of the equation of war.

The only story that adds up

is that evil has multiplied 

to drive the suffering

to basements and train stations below

the streets of an entire nation.

Ukrainians do not clutch a bottle of rum.

They clutch one another,

measuring the possibility

of survival upon evil’s arrival

on their own doorsteps.

They seek a drink, a loaf of bread,

the warming comfort of sleep 

in their own bed.

Lesson learned that evil adds up.

Passersby add to that equation.

Passersby who drop coins in a cup

and tell themselves they do good.

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