and the people
with faces
come and go
speaking of great men.
Who bowed to whom
in whose room
and when?
….david michael jackson
David Michael Jackson
When We Win Poem
When
every child is armed
with an automatic weapon
in
Afghanistan,
in America,
is that when we win?
What do we win?
A cry for peace is just a cry
a dove is just a dove
I cry for peace
Probation Man Blues by David Michael Jackson
Nothing has changed
A new take on the song
doesn’t change anything.
It’s the quiet of my
voice
singing
just above the wind
…………………David Michael Jackson
Oh Mr. Probation man
I’ll tell you what it’s all about.
Them overdraft people
they done cleaned me out.
an’ I can’t pay to give you
no pee at all
in the Probation Company
bathroom stall.
I know my bill
is now overdue
and lock me up is what you
said you would do.
Oh Mr Probation Man
Don’t take me back to jail.
My babies need food.
I can’t make the bail
When the Company Prison
they let me go
they said I still had
my debt with you.
I got them beggin’
beggin’ the probation man blues.
Oh they say that crime,
crime don’t pay
but it seems to do
pretty well by you.
Stone by stone we’ve built
this house of pain
Oh please don’t take me
to jail again
Oh I don’t know
I don’t know what I’ll do.
I got them probation man
Them probation man blues.
Interstate Highways in the 1950’s
The film “highway Hearing” was produced by Dow Chemicals, with assistance from the US Bureau of Roads and the Automotive Safety Foundation, to garner support for the 1956 Federal Aid-Highway Act, the law that enabled the Interstate Highway system of America.
Film synopsis:
After a small town learns that it is to be bypassed by a new freeway, highway officials and politicians help to convince residents that the freeway is actually in their interest. The film ends as it began, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new stretch of highway. …….wdtvlive42
I needed to skip around to watch this. It was well worth it. It is certainly a 1950’s idealized portrait of themselves within a bit of cool ’50’s propaganda about the interstate. Connorsville is a Mayberry, of course. I almost expected Barney to show up.
1. Is this the Republican idealized town of white people deciding great things as portrayed by Dow Chemical? Strange that they are willing to spend 51 billion bucks ($487 billion in today’s money) on roads. Such odd Republicans!
2. Some of the the arguments against the interstate highway are real. It did kill downtown areas in all small towns. It did create barriers for farmers, livestock and wildlife.
3. “Our prettiest school teacher” gives a truly inspiring speech that sounds so like a Democrat today.
4. If they had a time machine and could see today’s world, would they vote for the interstate? “Hey man it helped us get to Woodstock Dude.”….It helped us get social change. It helped us get other races in our propaganda about how well we are doing. Would they like what happened to their little Mayberry world.
Who is lying to themselves more, them or us? They pretend that their African American neighbors are not there, and, indeed they had no say. We acknowledge their presence and pretend they are free.
5. Is our generation building tanks instead of something, anything?
These folks haven’t been through the sixties yet. Since we are not so pure, then we should not be so hard on them. In their defense, they had been through World War 2 and, THEY didn’t bring their machine guns back with them. They were tired of war and spent their money on us. They could decide to do big things and pull it off.
We should listen to the school teacher.
No More Bocars to Ride
Oh there ain’t no more boxcars
for Willie and Woody to ride
No hobos in containers
as the freight train rolls by
They could ship themselves from China
but they wouldn’t get much air,
take the last train to Clarksville
but they couldn’t get out of there
Oh they don’t have to hire no railroad dick
and you can’t catch the train cause it goes by too quick.
Oh what’s a hobo to do
what’s a hobo to do
stand on the street and sing the blues
thumb don’t work and the cop says move
This modern world don’t feel no pain
and only graffiti rides that train
Poem and video by David Michael Jackson
Spirit Not Book
Abraham called.
he said
“What book?”
Matthew,
Mark,
Luke
and John
dropped by.
They said
they wrote it down
as best they could
remember,
and got the gist of it
but can’t be expected
to have remembered
every word exactly
even a day
later.
Spirit
not
book
My Grandfather’s God Poem
My grandfather
I never knew how he voted
He was born in 1900.
I spent hundreds of hours
in the field with him.
Farmers,
“You boy’s ain’t hopin’ me.”
Plowers of fields with mules,
Growers of every fruit
every vegetable
every animal
milkers of cows by hand,
survivors of the depression,
Eighty acres and king tobacco,
Porch swings,
Who did he vote for?
It was nobody’s business and nobody asked.
Who was his God?
It was nobody’s business and nobody asked.
The Parson left him alone.
Matters between them were settled long before I showed up
without a father in his field.
I never knew a man with a more private God.
My grandfather never brought Him up in the field.
You don’t speak of Him up when He’s there.
………………..david michael jackson March 29, 2015
More on Mules
Jesse James Lament
Jesse James Lament
Jesse James Lament
I oughta jus’ shut up
I can’t say nuthin’ right
It’s obvious to all
I can’t see the light
oh
I didn’t listen to her
all night last night
She’s done told me before
that robbin’ these banks ain’t right
She said Jesse oh Jesse
whatcha tryin’ to do
stay close to the river
where the barges come through
When you get to the the highway
Follow the wagons to town
I’ll meet you at the hotel
In my traveling gown
Oh Jesse my Jesse
leave the bank alone
We’ll leave for Nashville
and start again on our own
I oughta jus’ shut up
I can’t say nuthin’ right
It’s quite obvious to all
I can’t see the light
oh
I didn’t listen to her
all night last night
She’s done told me before
that robbin’ these banks ain’t right
yes
She’s done told me before
that robbin’ these banks ain’t right
So get the horses, get the horses boys
This ain’t the day to save my soul
Someday you’ll claim it as your fame
That you rode with Jesse James
poem by david michael jackson editors@artvilla.com
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Jesse’s death is still a mystery
