Tough Choices

Tough Choices

The dishes need to be done

the laundry    the beds   vacuum

the mopping

Always something pressed in the spine

I am told by the man under my table.

Remember that day when we got together and grilled

in the backyard?  Right before dark we lit a fire and sat

around eating and drinking. There were hamburgers

and salads.  Cheese and bread.  Red potatoes with

garlic and onions -a dash of parsley.

There was music.  Someone had a guitar.

We ran out of songs and so we had to make

up new ones.  My face hurt the next day

when we hugged good bye.

Random Niceties

It is nice to know

there are humans still on planet

earth even though they

are destroying it

The fact they are here

and can destroy it

is fun dada poetry

Dry Your Eyes –There Is Work To Do

In the city of normal

with the gentle light

of dusk and the blossoms

of the flowers’ waft  sweet

aroma

-

I had a conversation

which led to the conclusion

when I am walking

on the sidewalk I should

not move my lips when

there is no one in arms

reach

-

I wondered what it is like

to be tricked and kidnapped

sold as a slave in postmodern

day United States of America

and if by chance you got to

watch some news or reality TV

I wondered how pissed

off a person gets when

you realize the land

of the free and the home

of the brave is a giant

john that doesn’t

care how you landed

on a dime in some dirt’s

riding place

-

or  perhaps you get

to watch some popular

children’s program

and say,  you are a child

I wondered how bad

it hurts to have

no one and to be

repeatedly raped and afraid

to breathe out

while other kids are begging

for candy bars and complaining

about homework

or an early bed time

-

Sometimes I think

there is a miracle out there

-the thing that makes a person

want survival

even though their life is

horrible and awful

-

but most of the time

I’m too confused to wonder

because of all the people who

hurt others just because

they want some things like dollars

the street is no place for the thoughtful

to stand and mutter in madness

Must keep the face masked

with smiling stone

and the feet humping

the ground in the pale hope

that the eyes never meet the enslaved

and broken without a loaded weapon

to extinguish those who

master over the innocent

to teach the meaning

of liberty and justice for all

and the enslaved can

learn what it means to have

someone in arms reach

-

that offers compassion and safety

and freedom

Do I need to say more?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all, except atheists

or

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible under science with liberty and justice for all but the dim witted and religious

or

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under Santa, indivisible, with presents and candy for all.

or

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation of greed and bigots, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all but the poor and homosexuals

Or

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”

Ten Years

ten years

In the last ten years

I have done nothing

with my life and failed at  attempts

for betterment

In the last ten years I have made

all of my dreams come true and the universe

allowed me abundance

In the last ten years I have dropped out of college

and I have graduated from college

In last ten years I have fallen in and out of love

like a willow branch breaking and sprouting

In the last ten years I’ve been convinced that

there is no such thing as love and I have been

certain that love is the only answer

In the last ten years I gave birth to a healthy child

and I have rushed it to the emergency room, afraid of death and powerless

In last ten years I have made best friends

and lost them in moves and pettiness

In the last ten years I have gained spirituality

and lost it to uncertainty

In the last ten years I’ve been  an activist and marched

and shouted and I have been apathetic and still and silent

In the last ten I have owned a home and been homeless

In the last ten years I have seen the birth of new loved ones

and buried loved ones in the dirt

In the last ten years I have found a town and a home, a sense community

and a peace with the land and I have been a stranger in an unfamiliar town,

restless and alone

In the last ten years I have learned more than I ever imagined possible

and I have become dumb, knowing nothing –ignorant and easy confused

In the last ten years I have been confident in who I was

and I have lost my sense of self

In the last ten years I thought of you often and I have forgotten your name.