Six Feet Under

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Six Feet Under

By order of the government

We live in a world where

Handshakes are forbidden

Where breath can kill

Where standing too close

Could be your last act

Of defiance

No hugs no kisses

No bump of the fist

No slap on the back

No whispers in the ear

No one wants to follow the rules

But defiance now is a game of fools

Don’t get too close

Don’t huddle together

No sharing space

No matter the weather

Do not falter and do not wonder

Six feet apart or six feet under

Destination Destiny

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Destination Destiny

During the nation’s bicentennial

I lived on Manhattan Island

Busted my ass to make it there

Had my moment on the stage

Saw my name in the Village Voice

If not on the marquee lights

I wanted to make New York my home

My base of operations

A place to lay my head and toil

The center of the creative universe

The cradle of art and imagination

I remember landing in Grand Central Station

Alone with my thoughts my destination

A script in my bag dreams in my head

I wanted to belong be found be read

In the end the great metropolis refused

To share my welcome

Tossed me out like an old pair of boots

To live with the masses was not my destiny

Or was it random chance

I always wondered what might have been

What could have would have happened

Would I have thrived?

Would I be dead?

More than ever I wonder now

Where my first love might have led

The Cleansing

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

The Cleansing

Toxins spread across the land

Poison seeping from poisoned minds

Wretched souls and misery

Suffering the terror of need

By the hands of greed

And the waters come down

Like a rumbling train

From a broken sky springs

A cleansing rain

A thundering storm like the gods of war

Batten down the hatches

Bar the doors

Put our hands together and pray

Wash away the tears

Wash away the rage

Wash away the horror

Wash away the waste

Let us be whole again

Give us good health

Let us have joy again

Let us feel well

When the whole world is in such sorrow

Let it rain today until tomorrow

The Chase

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

The Chase

No more dawdling

No more spinning the top

No more jogging around the bend

This is where it stops

This is where the bullshit ends

You’ve been yanking my chain too long

Even when you’re right you’re wrong

People are sick and tired and dying

While you’re still singing the same old song

Now you want a war with Iran

Now you want a new war on drugs

Go home to your beloved Mar a Lago

Go bury your head in the Florida sand

Play a round of golf and make your stand

Spend time tweeting on your mobile phone

Just go your way and leave us all alone

Coronavirus Miracles

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Coronavirus Miracles

A decline in violent crimes

A spirit of giving spreads

People rally to desperate needs

Masks from upholstery

Hospitals in city centers

Hotels for the homeless

Debt forgiveness

Prepared meals

Tent cities

A million acts of generosity

For every brutal tragic death

Ordinary people understand

We’re all in this together

So why not lend a hand

The miracles of kindness

born of deadly despair

Give testament to all

who came before us

all who come after

and all who care

Humanity will endure

Humanity will survive

Humanity will prevail

In these dark and trying times

Fools Parade

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Fools Parade

A congregation in Louisiana

Praise the lord and pass the pestilence

Pandemic parties in Miami

Dancing to the edge of time

A Christian university in Georgia

Class in session stand in line

The fools parade is never canceled

The celebration must go on

Drink and dance the night away

Party to the break of dawn

Bars and taverns business booming

What could possibly go wrong?

They’ll have a thousand poor excuses

When the hammer comes down strong

Incompetence Kills

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Incompetence Kills

People were fed up I understand

Throw out the old try a new brand

They’re all the same the old folks said

Now the old folks are sick in bed

You delivered a message loud and clear

They played to your hopes

He played to your fear

Now what do you think

When you’re calm and still?

You could not have known

Incompetence kills

We slipped by for three long years

The market soared

The end drew near

When the pandemic came

We wrote our wills

We should have known

Incompetence kills

He saw it coming and turned away

He said don’t worry we’ll be okay

We won’t all survive but most of us will

How were we to know?

Incompetence kills

He fought for the rich

Spat on the poor

On the bright side

He never started a war

Just a miserable leader

Grist for the mill

But we never suspected

Incompetence kills