When people speak from both sides of their mouth you get…. Oxymorons People who once liked the old segregationLater turned and became fans of deregulationThey boast of their love of our great constitutionBut still wave the flag of the confederate solutionThey boast that they’re patriots and wave high the flagBut simple “voting by mail” somehow... Continue Reading →
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The State of the Ship
The helmsman of the ship of stateDrunk on power, at his wheel pratesOf terror, evil, and bad menWhile his servile followers "ahem" Surrogates note every lame botched wordBroken syntax, the absurdAnd loyally his words transmuteInto a fine bold stance that sounds astute War isn't war but reconstructionJustice is equal to obstructionTorture doesn't bring one shameIf... Continue Reading →
America as a “Battlespace”: A Note on Traumatic Stress in the Age of Trump
I have noticed a strange thing in the last few years. I used to know and play a lot of protest songs—mostly civil rights and anti-war songs. More and more often I find I can’t play and sing these songs without becoming extremely emotional. It is like a wave of grief just rises up and... Continue Reading →
What Black Lives and Palestinian Lives Have in Common
A Cry for Justice What the lives of American people of color and Palestinians have in common is first and foremost that they both matter. To remind people of this simple fact is not to suggest that other lives don’t matter—that is just nonsense—a cheap distraction and sophomoric talking point. The point of the slogan... Continue Reading →
Two Poems about Palestine, Truth, and Balance
The Ruins of Gaza Jerusalem/ Gaza (2012-2014) If there were no separation betweenEvents in space because of timeHow would we order our world?We would have to live with our history thenAnd live with our acts always. Ancient walls would beObscured by the images of the handsThat lifted the stones, again and againAnd we would see... Continue Reading →
On Addressing the Problems of Systemic Racism and Brutal, Misguided Police Methods
Under Pressure We are currently seeing the country racked by demonstrations against racism. So far, the response of the Trump administration has been predictably medieval—and totally ineffective. While some people waste time and breath on arguing about who is causing the relatively scattered outbreaks of violence and looting, they overlook a very simple fact: instead... Continue Reading →
The Dubious Myth of the “Unprecedented” Trump
The Emperor and His Guard Of course, in many simplistic ways Trump really is "unprecedented." We have never seen any president act in such bizarre and dangerous ways. On the other hand, the rather glib overuse of this word "unprecedented" masks a much more deeply entrenched problem. The word “unprecedented” has basically become a mere... Continue Reading →
Two Poems About Lying Politicians
Birds of a Feather I wrote these two poems in response to events between 2003-2004, when I was living in Saudi Arabia. Really good poems probably don’t need explanatory notes, but just in case… The first short poem “Talking Heads” was inspired by some art I saw in ancient cities I visited. I was struck... Continue Reading →
Wisteria (a Poem about Love)
Of all flowersWisteria is most like love.As a shoot youDo not suspect its power. It needs a thing to climb onEven, at first, the slightest wispOf a reed,Or a dry stick; A gestureOr a glance or riskIt spins tough coilsIt seals its secret tight And uses it to ladder to the lightWhen it flowers it... Continue Reading →
