montgomery to kiev…

war in the ukraine
another back of the bus
for those of color
the ticket out of the war zone
the lifetime pass of white skin

a passing interest in…

voyeurs of murders
neatly dressed politicians
at home drinking wine
calmly watching war’s horrors
stressed waiting for stock reports

change what needs to be changed…

a simple question
given all the wars on earth
how do we decide
whose freedom we should defend
sovereignty of a nation
or financial benefit
does the formula
include variables of race
or religious creed
are atrocities factors
number of unborn children
murdered in their mother’s womb
whatever is used
seems rather ineffective
given all the deaths
or perhaps no one’s listening
unable to hear beneath
the rubble of self-interest

the hand dealt…

there’s a time to die
we may not choose the hour
but we decide how
curled into a ball of fear
or defiantly to angst
but we all will die
there’s no miracles for death
only vague offers
of rewards and wonders for
our repentance for life’s sins
that doesn’t ease death
but shields us from some questions
we refuse to ask
there’s no need to spell them out
you’ve heard them a thousand times
that is not the point
it is more about how we
face what’s apparent
the presence of our own death
and how we play our last cards

your opinion matters…

it’s so often said
but still there is war and death
we clamor for peace
while politicos debate
what sanctions should be employed
media outlets conduct surveys
to assess public thoughts
on who could have prevented
a war based on greed
a meaningless task to those
who are now buried beneath
the rubble of fallen hope
and the hard truth is
no one is listening to us
war’s about profits
our opinions are worthless
like lives sacrificed in war
war’s about the bottom line

 

 

pledge of allegiance…

shaking his head
as he watched
some youths
puffing on e-cigarettes
the brown bag prophet
stopped and asked me
you hear ’bout
the two
former us senators
working
as
russian lobbyists
slithering their way ’round
the halls of congress
seeking to stymie sanctions
on russian banks
something ’bout
military involvement
in the
ukraine crisis
guess they found it
more profitable
then repeating
once again
the pledge of allegiance
makes one
wonder
’bout the sincerity
of how they
said
those words
before