Killing Children in Gaza

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GAZA

 

Killing Children in Gaza

 

Omar will never grow old

Omar will never go to school

He will never find a girl

He will never be married

He will never have a job

He will never have a child

He will never cross a border

Not even his own

 

Omar was a child in Gaza

That was his only crime

To live as a child in Gaza

Is to die without warning

A missile drops from the sky

Falls where Omar lay sleeping

 

Omar was not a soldier

He was not a foreign terrorist

He was not a criminal

He was not a threat to Israel

He was not a hateful being

He was a child

 

He was a child who is no more.

 

Democracy in Turkey

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL DEMOCRACY

 

Erdogan’s Betrayal

 

As if to prove his power

As if to prove his infallibility

As if to test the limits of his lawlessness

Erdogan ordered the detention

Of his rival before the next election

The mayor of Istanbul

An enemy of state

 

The mayor of Istanbul is not

An enemy of state

He is an enemy of Erdogan

He is an enemy of the dictator

He is a friend to democracy

He is a victim of oppression

He is a candidate for change

 

His name is Ekram Imamoglu

He is the reason for massive protest

In open defiance of Erdogan’s law

You can take away their rights

You can take away their freedom

But you cannot take their voices

You can beat them down

You can push them back

But they will rise again

No Peace in Gaza

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GAZA

 

No Peace in Gaza

 

The war in Gaza continues

There’s no peace in the Middle East

Not as long as he reigns in Israel

The genocidal beast

 

He will not cease destruction

He will level it to the earth

He will do all that he can and more

To prevent a nation’s birth

 

The hostages are no longer

He has tossed their lives away

Animosity is growing stronger

All of Palestine is in flames

 

Hope is a rare and dying species

In the land of the Middle East

The warlords rule with missiles now

The peacemakers are deceased

 

There is no peace in Gaza

For as long as the goal remains

Annihilation of land and people

Their intentions are very plain

Hammer and Fist

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

 

Hammer and Fist

 

Fire and hail seems very odd

The hammer and the fist

If there’s such a thing as the curse of God

It would look a lot like this

 

A trail of mass destruction

From the west to the open plains

Here’s an obvious deduction:

The gods have gone insane

 

The planet earth is striking back

At those who would destroy her

The wind and rain are on attack

Your laughter just annoys her

 

We warned you we would pay the price

For a failure to transition

You would not take our sage advice

Now you’ll face an inquisition

 

It’s far too late to make amends

But we could mitigate the harm

The cost of playing let’s pretend

The earth’s not growing warm

 

The Silence

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: PROTEST

 

The Silence

 

They have silenced the voice of America

The voice of freedom and human rights

They have silenced the voice of Americans

As if we’ve given up the fight

 

The fight for progress and democracy

Against oppression and autocracy

The right to decency and civility

Without regard to one’s ability

 

They have silence dissenting voices

With a threat of retribution

They would eliminate our choices

Intimidation is their solution

 

They have silenced former presidents

The free media and the press

Mass oppression is in residence

The right to march the streets in protest

 

We will not give up the fight

We will retain our defiance

We’ll demand our civil rights

We will never yield to silence

 

Venezuelan Refugees

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: MASS DEPORTATION

 

Venezuelan Refugees

 

Sending refugees to prison in El Salvador

A level of depravity rarely seen

Even in the lowest dream

Like jailing people for being poor

What else would we do?

Are there any limitations?

Have we become a heartless nation?

 

We have lost our moral grounding

It is pitiful and yet it’s true

Our cruelty is astounding

Some would say it’s nothing new

 

They are fleeing from oppression

As we encouraged them to do

We would teach them all a lesson

But we failed to see it through

Now we tell them you’re not welcome here

You’re not welcome anywhere

We condemn you to a life of fear

Though we know it is not fair

 

This is not the old America

The one you knew and loved

This is the hateful nation

The hawk without the dove

 

(Trump administration ships Venezuelan

refugees to prison in El Salvador.)

 

Revenge and Retribution

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Revenge and Retribution

 

Have you no shame?

Your pledge of retribution

Beyond a simple blame

Shames the institution

That upholds the rule of law

A solemn vow of fairness

A crude and ugly flaw

An absence of awareness

So heartless and so raw

You take the final straw

 

You, sir, are a disgrace

Beyond all comprehension

An actor out of place

Far too dark to mention

A man without a heart

A fool without a soul

You’re tearing us apart

Destroyer is your role

You are a piece of art

Destruction is your goal

 

We don’t know what you think

Are you really such a tool?

We fear a missing link

Or are you simply cruel?

Do you want to be remembered

As the worst who ever ruled?

The one and only member

The one who bears the name

The last of burning embers

The man who has no shame