“A rose is a rose is a rose.” — Gertrude Stein “A fascist is a fascist is a fascist.” — Anonymous
I had a dream, American, (But now I can’t),
Iconic and ironic in its inner core.
The Founding Fathers, somewhat smug & ignorant
Of Life and Love beyond the European shore
Unwittingly might see a noble people dark
As less, and bless twin evils: Slave & Masterhood.
Yet dimly saw perhaps a democratic arc.
Provide for ways to grow a land of humanhood.
Remember to find the light — wherever you can. And then add to it. No matter how small, it helps.
Alas that dream seems dashed upon the rocks of creed
A manic sycophantic oliphant has come
To overturn both logic, love with crap & greed.
Pretending not to notice what we’ve learned; plays dumb.
It tramples rights of non-white, poor, and double X’s.
Projects itself upon a pedestal, and hexes.
The real strength of the oliphant is less than you think; because it is fragile as anything based on a lie inevitably will be. Strength requires being tied to reality without being enslaved to it. We can imagine and strive toward something better.
Endless support of nature means endless support of beauty. The value of natural beauty on this earth far exceeds even all the wonderful works of artists and artisans in every land. That’s not to say such things aren’t wonderful and up-lifting. They are. But if we destroy the natural world, even if we could somehow live, we would be immensely poorer no matter how “rich” we were.
They practice witchcraft of a very shifty sort
And thus, with evil devils, they themselves consort.
The logic they pretend to worship, they contort.
They gorge on earth and every shred of life they can.
They cite the lies with which our history once began
Ignoring all the truths since learned so they can ban —
All life is not black and white. In fact, very little of it is.
The lives and loves of what they do not understand.
They stuff their ears to drown the sound of those they’ve banned.
They cover eyes to blind their brains to flames they’ve fanned.
The air and sea are fouled: – by blood-soaked, unlearned hand.
They point their blame toward each direction in the land.
If everyone caves, they’ll expand their demand. We’ll all be damned.
Even at sunset, find the light. Even after sunset, find the light. The light will lead to truth and the truth will set you free.
It cannot stand. Fallacious fascism falls and fails.
It won’t be folx, but traitorous cheats who’ll fill our jails.
The Fire of Love is Fire that Works: The Fire of Life.
Fulfill America’s Dream. The Dream beneath the Dream.
Help everyone see and feel the Theme beyond the Theme.
The Fire of Love is Fire that Works. The Fire of Life.
We need a land that works for everyone who’s here.
For rich, and poor; for men and women, straight or queer.
For blue, for yellow, red and white. Behold the Light!
For each heart knows that “Cheat and Lie” cannot be right.
Divide’s a trap for fools. It’s history that schools:
Don’t follow those who promise jewels then break all rules.
Silver buttons, golden boughs, ornately jeweled fingers.
Adorning ditches alongside random tires and used syringes.
So much depends upon a little red gully
Filled with muddy, bloody, rain-water.
“There is always light if … ” – Amanda Gorman
The demagogue was not a demigod after all.
Dictatorship turned out not to be so much fun after all.
And after all, after all the joy of wanton cruelty faded
Survivors just got jaded and all the joy faded.
After all the promises unkept and all the lies exposed,
After all the hypocrisy grew like hairy poison vines
And after all the trees were felled, life itself rebelled.
After all the hate replaced each and every seed and every need.
It wasn’t so much fun after all. Not to die nor even to bleed.
“There is always light if we are brave enough…” Amanda Gorman
They shoot horses don’t they?
Yes — Buttheyshootdogsandcats and anythingtheycan. Food is scarce, for sure. But it isn’t just for food. It used to be for fun.
But now it’s just another humdrum way to fight boredom
Laced with randomness and ruin and rum.
“There is always light if we are brave enough to see it.” Amanda Gorman
Even the scab-faced Bannonites. And the golden calves of sanctimonium, Radioactive to the core,
As is the mango pit they still adore, Even they who wanted check and slay,
All are nothing more than shadows on the dead and empty warscape.
Killing off the ecosphere had all the “inconvenience” of a rape.
“There is always light if we are brave enough to see it. There is always light…” Amanda Gorman
This was the summer of our discontent.
Too hot to live, the grid had nothing more to give.
Lack of AC proved a prize for everyone!
Not just those too poor. Surprise!
The greed, after all, charged its own lightning fast steed
Of the apocalypse.
After all the trials and after all the errors, After all the pilgrims and their progress. After all the pillage and the patriots No-one was saved, after all.
There was only the infinite regress —
Not to the mythical fifties,
Not to flags Confederate,
Not to ages medieval
Nor even to Empires Latinate
After all, after all the shattered dreams of millions,
Just aching to be free,
We let it all slip away;
Pretending not to know our history,
Pretending that there is no devil to pay
When we cheat each other day after day after day after day.
“There is always light if we are brave enough to see it. There is always light if we are brave enough…” Amanda Gorman
It doesn’t make anything great, after all.
It doesn’t make anything better, after all.
Being a baby that fusses and musses
Isn’t so wise after all
When there are no adults left to clean up the messes.
“There is always light if we are brave enough to see it. There is always light if we are brave enough to be it.” — Amanda Gorman
(For a time, Sunday’s are for sonnets. We begin with free, chaotic verse that coalesces into a sonnet, but with ABBA stanzas, rather than the more traditional ABAB of Shakespearian sonnets).
PREAMBLE:
A loser.
More than anything. A loser.
Love: A loser.
Business: A loser. Bravery: A loser.
Elections: A loser.
No creator, just a hater. A waiter for the Putinate.
The dawn upon the lawn
Shows the blood of many innocents.
Not a teacher, not a preacher. If he can, he’ll try to reach her, Stick his sickly sticky stubby hands
Beneath her bands. It’s his closest approach to broach
The subject of true love. Lady Liberty he’d gladly grope
Gerrymandering allows politicians to stay in power no matter how bad a job they do for *all* their constituents; those who voted for him/her or those who didn’t. All suffer from divide & conquer.
petersironwood 