How good is good?
How far does it stretch?
As far as a lie?
Good asks questions,
while evil denies.
Who looks stronger?
The one who seems not to know
and questions everything as it goes?
Or the one who never answers,
never pauses to reflect,
never shows another respect?
How skewed is our thinking?
How screwed are our lives?
Good reaches upward
while evil takes a dive.
How do we climb
from such evil depths?
How good is good?
How far does it stretch?
Filed under Uncategorized
I wait upon the turning point
Dizzy and disoriented
By its rapid display
Of reality asway,
Believing the transformation will soon stop.
And if I can hang on tight,
And if I do not drop
All will then become clear.
A new way of seeing the world
And connecting its dots
Will unite us all in every endeavor.
Not because we are so clever;
But, because we must do better
Or destroy our selves,
Dust to dust.
Turning points are dizzying affairs.
We must grab hands to slow its course.
We must focus on a single point as we ride
In constant circles, growing wide,
Until the entire world bounces by
And we all feel the brunt of gravity
As it drags us down past reality
Where the vaguest hopes reside.
When will this end, we ask and fuss?
Knowing how it ends is up to us.
If only the spin would stop long enough
To catch a breath, I could get tough.
It is dangerous to let go when spinned out of control.
The spin disturbs the mindfulness which makes me whole.
If only those who stand and watch would reach to pull me out.
But, they hesitate and obliterate
Any discussion or action
until I fear it will be too late.
What will they think and how will they feel
To watch me destroyed on the spinning wheel?
When did having enough
become having… too much?
Too much… to notice
the unmet needs of others.
Too much… to stop considering
all persons sisters and brothers?
Too much…to vote in elections
and engage in democracy’s protection?
Too much…to pay close attention to news
and recognize propaganda as our muse?
Too much…to keep our eyes open wide
to the manipulation of our grievous pride?
Too much…to fight for workers in unions
and buy American products in communion?
Too much…to protect all our children’s progress
from sexualization, gun threats and media stress?
When did having enough
become… too much
to pause and consider what the future means
instead of what meaning we hold in our future?
We did not arrive in this time and place
of utter ruination and near-total disgrace
simply because of one man and one political party.
We got here all on our own, so sorry.
We rugged individuals reach the top all alone.
We see and hear this truth in every tome and tone.
Overcoming all competition
without a need for contrition
that we forged ahead
without dread
of the kind of world we were creating;
only self-entertaining with no room for debating
that there might be a better way.
In stead we chose to play
video games and gambling on games.
We have no shame. We simply whine and complain.
Can we finally admit that it is time to quit?
When did having enough
becoming having…too much?
Our commander-in-chief
has never learned that lesson
His belief mirrors our own belief.
It is bringing this nation nothing but grief.
When did having enough
become having…too much?
Fraud plot in which some Somali immigrants participated? All Somalis are garbage so get rid of them all.
Criminal activity in which some African-Americans engage? All African-Americans are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Investigations and questions by journalists you find troublesome? All journalists are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Some women refuse your advances and sexism? All women are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Venezuelan boaters survive an illegal attack at sea? All Venezuelans are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Democrats pass legislation restricting corporate greed? All Democrats are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Military heroes remind military personnel to refuse unlawful orders? All military and veterans are garbage. Get rid of them all.
CEOs defraud, overcharge for goods and services, underpay workers? All CEOs are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Some White people commit crimes? All white people are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Some men abuse and rape women? All men are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Some bankers hide criminal gains, make money off the deposits? All bankers are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Hate has no logic except its power to destroy.
Hate has no reason except its delight in abuse.
Hate has no goodness in thought or in deed.
Hate is a damning influence and creed.
Hate is the one thing no one needs.
Some people hate? All people are garbage. Get rid of them all.
Hate until no one is left alive, no one at all.
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!
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 streets were lined for blocks on end.
Signs reminded all who rejoiced to attend
Why they walked and talked and smiled and waved
At passing cars who braved delays
While drivers honked horns and shouted out
“Vote him out and make it a rout!”
Costumed critters danced to our delight
Knowing their freedom would give him a fright.
Deconstruct the lies we have been told.
Deconstruct the narrative being sold.
Deconstruct the bullie’s hold.
Deconstruct institutional mold.
Gather in peace the young and the old.
Stronger are you, more wise, more bold.
Deconstruct so we can rebuild
What he has destroyed with his minions’ lack of skill.
We know how to do this, and more.
We have done it many times before.
My thanks to my friends in Clintonville area of Columbus who helped me attend this moment of patriots’ challenge to the con men robbing the USA of its power, wealth, ideals and humanity. The lack of media coverage was appalling. The misrepresentation of attendance numbers cannot be challenged when media fails to provide images of the gatherings. A local station covered it AFTER it was over and crowds had dispersed. Another stated hundreds attended when it was actually thousands. We are here. We are resisting. We are going nowhere until the despotism and kidnapping of people and the Supreme Court, universities, news organizations, social media outlets, medical and public health Institutions… even our very language and the meaning of words and phrases has been brought to an end and freedom restored.
We shall not be silenced.
Filed under COMMENTARY, POETRY, POLITICS
The voices are too loud out in the hall.
No one sitting solemnly inside
can understand the meaning of it all.
No matter how close one tries to listen
the cacophony distorts all meaning
of words angrily shouted, until tears glisten
feeling the hatred and monstrosity
which keeps all ears and hearts enthralled.
Thrills and chills sell as well as bloody gore.
“If it bleeds it leads” is a phenomenon
we know too well.
Shouters point a finger and shout some more.
Such behavior always draws a crowd.
Once they have your attention
the “soft-sell” begins the con in whispers.
And while they have your keen attention,
hanging on every word they mention
in the twisted story, repeated over and over,
using religion and love as a cover
to bring us to our knees to beg forgiveness,
they try to manacle our minds and tongues
if successful. If not, our hands and feet
in courtrooms, jail cells and on the streets.
Once all this is done, the coup is complete.
The Bill of Rights becomes an empty promise,
a useless piece of paper torn asunder,
while disingenuous voices thunder
in all the halls, in every building, across the nation.
It is when the voices stop we shall finally hear
that democracy has been lost, as we all feared.
STORMY NIGHT
Scattered rain was predicted.
The evening news meteorologist
calmly warned of light rain.
Instead, a wild storm came
filling the night with thunder
and meaningless blunder
as lightening broke asunder
a peaceful, if not restful, sleep.
Too wild a storm to venture out in.
A storm to set us back and shut blinds
to keep from seeing or fearing ruin.
This storm rapidly blew in
while most of us slept.
At sunrise, when I rose, I looked outside,
finally, and see the truth.
It is not what I was told, nor surmised.
The yard is battered.
its inhabitants scattered in burrows;
the garden littered and furrowed
by limbs dragged and cuffed.
The flag hangs upside down
until it touches the ground
in sacrilege and shame.
The flag holder has been pulled loose,
its screws unscrewed, its anchor
pulled apart and left hanging in dark space
through a night of constant turmoil,
leaving my flag drenched and soiled.
In morning light I could finally see
the upending of democracy,
right on my front porch
where everyone could if they would
easily see. No neighbor reported
nor interceded to fix a flag so distorted.
But, false solar lights alone
across the yard ways shone,
too low-light to assess
a flag under duress.
In morning light, in my nightgown I alight
to pull my flag up and close.
I place it upright to stand tall,
allowing the tears soaking it to fall,
that it may slowly dry out with the sky;
held by a newly installed holder,
one stronger and bolder.
I promise you this: the flag, my flag,
will soon again fly safe and free.
As will all of our beloved country.
annarino writes 
IT IS ALWAYS IN THE NUMBERS
Reports indicate attendance at NO KINGS events is somewhere between 5.2-8.2 billion persons. It is possibly much larger than any assumed count. For example. If one counts those registered with organizations who counted attendees, one simply gets a flat number of those who bothered to join through the organization. I registered and reported my attendance. By the time I attended three more persons joined me. They remain uncounted officially. I am sure this is true for families and friends of most attendees.
In the past, for individual rallies, law enforcement using drones mapped the crowd and made estimates using “so many persons per square inch” of their photos to create crowd attendance figures. While major big cities may have done so, mine did not. Local news did not. nor did Law enforcement in my locality. I am certain this happened in much of small town America. So when these numbers are posted, assume they are sorely undercounted.
Nevertheless, no matter the total count, the wide extent of events across the country in red and blue states and cities, in small hamlets, on rural roadway intersections, outside nursing homes and senior care facilities is significant. And, such small groups are likely not part of the count. Yet, the fact they showed such resilience and disgust for what is happening and took to the streets gives us cause to hope we can face down fascism and remove those traitors to our core American beliefs and to our Constitution from office; from School Board, Board of Health, City and County commissioners, mayors and city council, to Congress and the White House.
Local politics is sometime hard to unravel, especially for races where platitudes replace true positions and no party affiliation is required. We have tools those who came before us did not have, the internet and email addresses. Ask candidates for specific position statements. If they do not answer or provide gibberish, there is your answer. Be an informed voter. Help register new voters. Help motivate and take voters to the polls. We must now march to the polls as we marched through the streets. As Winston Churchill said, “This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. It is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” Now, the hard work begins. Please remember the joy you felt on No Kings Day and let it propel you to even greater efforts. We now know for certain, what we believed. We are not alone.
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Filed under COMMENTARY, POLITICS
Tagged as congress, crowd control, crowd count, dictator, donald-trump, elections, journalism, law enforcement, news, no kings day, political organizing, politics, propaganda, school board, social media, voter registration, voter suppression, voting