The Note On Our Mirror

Considering
Our lives may
Not be what we
Truly wish or
Envision,
Now we must
Try to
Move ahead without
Envy or bitterness–
Needing each day to
Trust anew.

Anxiety

an abc poem

Pause to feel the

Quickening of your heart

Release those fears to

Soothe this pain

If you want to abide, you must avoid collapse.

As I Shout in the Streets

I no longer know what matters to such American

people. Although if I follow their leader, money

seems to be an answer. I read about the sans-gun

service of once-US Poet Laureate Frost. Does freedom

fighting of that sort count? Or is it only the power

of military and business that is worthy of praise? ‘God

bless America’ sounds hollow when your god

is only invoked to defend those Americans

wielding wealthy, masculine, white Christian power.

You threaten to sue with check-books of money,

declaring that your rights demand denied freedom

for the Other—and if that fails, you have your gun.

You angrily yell: ‘Keep your hands off our guns,

and keep your political correctness off our God!’

You claim this government is killing religious freedom.

But Christian liberty is not religious liberty; America’s

separation of Church and State proven a lie. Money

will now be our ruler—the divine right to power.

The rally ‘Vote for Life!’ becomes ‘Vote for Power!’,

as the NRA threatens, ‘Vote to Keep Your Guns!’

Once again we are reminded of the money

chiselled for worship of a lifeless, foreign god.

This is the god for which platforms of ‘Americans

First’ are throwing aware their coveted freedom.

Your ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ pursuit of freedom

is revealed to be a desperate grab for power.

You are willing to distort the elusive ‘American

Dream’; replacing and reifying it with rights to guns,

rights to give lip-service to only the Christian god,

and rights to the pursuit of money, money, money.

You say intelligence is success, measured by money.

You claim that to maintain our fought-for freedom

requires labelling and barring those who worship Allah.

You have compromised Light in order to possess power.

Driven by fear of Other, you cradle your precious guns.

Is it only You who gets to define what is Great America?

Lesson one: If I make money it will bring me power.

Lesson two: Freedom is defended by wielding a gun.

My plea: Dear God, I don’t want to be this American.

disappointment

Degradative
Illusional
Stagnant
Argumentative
Prideful
Prejudicial
Obdurate
Ignescent
Nocent
Troglodytic
Maladroit
Exacerbating
Nominal
Turbid

Will You Promise Too?

Each morning anew I promise to feel;

Not turn things askew, nor hardened as steel.

I open my heart, whate're each day brings,

To anger and hurt and sadness that stings.

I promised to wed with my being—whole—

Let's forsake this dread and press for the goal:

Through each painful dearth, we'll discover new mirth. 

Apology

I struggle to write about happy moments;

I fear it will stop me from living in them.

The Unwelcome Companion

Wetness licks my hand.

Perhaps my puppy—your puppy—our harrier—is seeking a playmate—

I see no wagging tail, lolling tongue, or wide puppy eyes.

It is the rain, accompanying my lithe body—I dance along the cobbled street—

I sit at my desk in the artificially-lit room, surrounded by electronic hums.

You are beside me, telling a joke—bringing tears to my eyes—

You and me—together—laughing so hard—

Your silence is palpable; your invisibility, pungent.

Another tear smudges the ink before me.

I wipe my face, trying to whisk away incrimination.

I count my blessings and tell myself I should be filled, brimming, overflowing with—

Joy—Joy—Joy—

Thankfulness—

Excitement—

Anxiety

Fear

Dread

Guilt

Emptiness

Empty—

Empty—

Empty—

—Tears.