Category: poetry

;

we are all failures in measure

it is thru our failures we learn to be kinder

when our failures die we swat at guns

look and see

what a violent species we are

see and hear us needing a “monster”

as if a “monster” child is not a tortured soul

surviving by denial guarantees our

becoming a more violent species

no peace
on earth
without
goodwill

transfiguration is for the living
when innocent lives are lost

!

if you ain’t laughing or turning the dial
you are missing the point of free speech

Jocks and Jills go up that Hill
some swing left
some swing right
mission accomplished when
they get the monkeys chattering
this time it’s about politically correctness

what will Kurt Vonnegut have to say
to Hamlet – to Papa Hemingway
everybody smile now
be candid, the cameras, are rolling
just like a stone that rolls
with the might of the mighty

no one can destroy the meaning
of a flag or a Jesus
it is the meaning not the symbol
the flag was created for
that Jesus came to impart

when little, like sheep,
we get led away
from where we were going before we came

who’s yer daddy
who’s yer baby
when pain comes raining down
who’s the clown who made you frown
who could make you laugh by crying or
pack up your troubles in an old kit bag

Imus stepped up with a mirror
of what our culture is becoming
accidentally or on purpose does it matter?
the subject is free speech
it was the market that was politically threatened
that did not let we the people decide
if Imus would continue to have an audience
which would be true if we truly had free speech

Imus only incited a war of words, not a riot
is Imus a little racist?
are we all a little racist when it comes to folks
of our own kind?
How many hate emails did the Rutger’s team get?
those that would incite, didn’t give us the number
it was — two or three
and they didn’t give us the love emails at all!
it was — hundreds

Imus, the Shock Jock opened the door
that kept hidden the pain
of many ages

?

that’s what cowboy’s do, that’s why!
it’s a sign of respect and humility.
ask better questions!
who does an outstanding basketball coach
tell us and her team, “People can only
hurt you with their words if you let them,”
and in the same breath tell us
her team’s shining moment was destroyed
by Imus’ words?

Who’s interest was Al Sharpton acting in
when he went to Imus’ advertisers and
encourage them to pull out of Imus’ show
and why was Proctor and Gamble the first?
Could it be because his wife Deidre
was set for a book signing tour for
“Green This” – which offers cleaning products
which do not pollute like P & G’s?

Has anyone noticed how now in America
we have one continuous political campaign
of promises never kept?
Does anyone believe Hillary will support
anti-flag burning after (if) she wins
the democratic nomination or that
her “pulling out of Iraq” will happen
when she is president?

Whom does thou think
protests too much?

(..)

I hope you are back on your ranch
out in the land of enchantment
that place that is still quiet enough
to hear the laughter of running water
and the refilling of spiritual cups
it’s always easy to misplace one’s left foot
when one feels the intensity
of worldly affairs
and when was your last vacation? or
are all your vacations working vacations?
at nearly 73 years of age i still remember
the push it took at age 67
to do the best we could think of…
now i’ll tell you truly
i’m one who emailed you complaining
when you had too much testosterone in the air
sorry you could not see me smile
when you got into a debate on the air
with your wife, even; you both were assertive
without anger, and i witnessed
your willingness to listen
(not so many husbands have developed that ability)
i flew some disgusted emails at some guests
but i hope i thanked you a few times also

heal yourself first dear Mustang
you will be better and stronger at your chosen work
your fans will not plead for your return
though this is our dream – we now have a deeper understanding
of the strength it takes to be a messenger
or as my close musical friend is wont to say,
“The closer one gets to the truth,
the less predictable the reaction.”

🙂

listen un Mr. President
pay attention
to what honest dialog produces
when coach Stringer and her team
can begin
“the process of forgiveness”
by walking her talk
she refused to answer questions about hate
she made the topic
broader than her team
broader than Imus
now is a good time
for us, as a society, to begin
“the process of forgiving”
by taking the first step
and produce some honest dialog

thank you Coach C. Vivian
for embodying strong virtues
and giving us hope
we may yet fill the highest dreams
of our founders, who left the door open
for improvement in what they had started,
a Constitutional Republic,
because they knew their limitations
their expectations were that we the people
would find ways to improve
their experiment. The lie:
“the American Dream” was apple pie.
The truth: “the American Dream”
was that we the people
could rule ourselves;
with a footnote:
“If they will build on what we started
and not try to turn it into stone.”

🙁

whites make that mistake often
thinking they are one with the ‘hood
and can speak their street language

it is a brave act
to be a comedian
in the public face
trying to project reality back
look how “some” Muslims reacted
to the desecration of their beliefs

thank you Imus you succeeded
in reflecting our reality

it wasn’t enough
all of your good works
to help the black community
to ease the suffering of children
you were a threat
to the most powerful people,
the upper crust of politicians
who have had your shows
fine-toothed combed
no one could argue with you for saying
you’d never have Hillary on your show
but they knew you were human
as the rest of us are human
who sometimes misplace our left foot
and they were in the mood for bear

I often turned your show off
when you were full of too much testosterone
but I never doubted your good heart
you did your best to shine your light on
the poverty that was laid bare with Katrina
even if enough of us did not get outraged
(and their suffering still rages on)
you did, indeed, do your best
but that was not good enough
for self righteous people
who are out to kill messengers

well Imus, we are the tail end of that generation
that taught sticks and stones are worse than words

the “glory” of Rutger’s basketball team
came the day they learned they were in the finals
their “moment of glory” WAS NOT
the day they did not win the championship
but it was you who gave them a national stage
it was you who allowed us to see and understand
these 10 young women ARE champions
without winning the title

you knew nothing about them
when you called them nappy-headed ho’s
so they had no reason to be personally insulted
I, as a great grandmother, flinched
when I heard those words come out of your mouth
and wished you hadn’t said them, and I heard
your two side-kicks flinch also,
I did not know the women either,
but I was reminded of a time
an ex-alcoholic husband called me whore and worse,
and laughed at him because I KNEW
first, he was not describing me, second, I knew
he had a traumatized childhood because he was a bastard
and I knew he was called a bastard
because his mother was raped at age sixteen

I’m sad sad sad this morning
they told you you would would be shot
after this morning’s broadcast
but they caved…
and I won’t hear your final comments
on the radio because I don’t have one

now
my only hope for justice is
that these 10 women basketball players
will get to know you as your audience knows you
and they will speak from their hearts
and not thru being coached.

(?)

Their women’s basketball coach claims
after loosing the championship match to Tennessee
her team was elated, and moments later
their victory of accomplishments were destroyed
because Imus In the Morning called them
mapy-headed ho’s. (he also claimed they had tatoos,
is that part true or simply forgotten? It matters
only IF they don’t have any – some proof he thought
he was joshing.

They say loosers win, and Rutger’s who lost;
won a world stage for their articulation and talent.

When winner good man Imus loses for repeating
something he had heard on rap music, he loses…
What he loses is extra baggage of people
who claimed to be his friends.

If blacks want to end segregation
they must stop segregating the languages.
If they listened to their children;
black would hear, and whites would hear,
THEY speak the same
language.

There was a day parents sang to their children;
“Sticks and stones may break your bones,
but words can never hurt you.”
Ms. Coach of Rutger’s basketball team
said as much to we the public.

Words, turned into stones are thrown;
the dice have not been read…yet.

If these young Rutger’s ladies
deem Imus is truly repentant of his remarks
will they forgive him?

Even before these young ladies
let us know their decision
the attack dogs have managed:
to get him a two week suspension
to get two major advertisers to pull out
to get him cancelled on the radio
and are calling for him to be fired.

Who’s your alpha pac man?
Who’s your sugar daddy?
Who’s your mentor: Jesus or Judas?

!

this is a test
no crib notes will contain the answers
when a human uses the title Reverend
their tests grow stronger by degrees
and their decrees.

when nails are spit
who takes the hit and what are his reactions thereof?
when a spitter of hurtful words begs for forgiveness,
what would Jesus do? what did the Reverends do?
They’re not Jesus you say?
Jesus did not say it was ok to preach forgiveness
and not be a forgiver.
What did Imus do?
He took the nails
Tune in tomorrow…
will the women’s basketball team
be good sports
and accept Imus’ heart felt apology?

When words do not reflect a known human heart
they are words implanted in their innocent youth.
The world is full of deadly hate for misdeeds
The Politicians, The Religious, The Personal,
do not doom us to a world
where vengeance rules.

As long as any person or group holds hate in their heart;
that person, or that group, walls themselves outside
the garden of peace.

p.s Jesus was crucified for political reasons(.)

🙁

imprinting in a young child’s mind
he/she was the seed of something shameful.
look what this child’s child birthed
a nation Full of bastards, and shame
doesn’t grow on ’em trees no mo’!

the poor man’s dad’s mind
was full of it too, the shame, ignited
with the “charity” of WPA
when a man could sling a sledgehammer
on a pile of rocks, all day, por que
US citizens paid his pay check,
he must, be made, to feel shame.

still the children played
hide and seek and skip to ma lou
ashes, ashes, all fall down

some put on a tie and some put on sandals
for some cheating became a way of life,
thru the eyes, thru the ears and thru the mouth –

still there was dancing and singing
hidden somewhere deep
within the old man’s heart
who nevertheless survived to retrieve
the spirit that built the house
that protected the children
that helped return
the magic of
the Is of
the newborn.

🙂