We Will Rise Again

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After the Fall

We will rise again after the fall

We will strike down the border wall

That protected us from imagined beasts

And find new unity west and east

To face our common foes

United we will make a stand

Man and woman hand in hand

Together we will gather

To shed our common tears

Together we will march

To face our common fears

We will rise again after the fall

We will sing and dance and raise the call

No longer will we cower and hide

We are of the earth and earth abides

Despite our common woes

The Test

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The Test

How long can we last before the walls

Begin to fold in on us?

How long before our minds wobble

Shake and take flight?

Some can endure this endless state

Of nothing but the same

This existential perpetuity

This flight of the flightless dodo

This song of endless woe

Round and round she goes

Like water down the drain

Like weeks of endless rain

Like enticing the insane

Just to feel alive

We are puppets in a wooden chest

Long forgotten put to rest

Nothing beating in our breasts

Trying hard to do our best

And falling like an empty nest

Failing the final test

How long can we last?

The Fall of Privacy

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The Fall of Privacy

The pandemic experts agree

For the good of all

(and the wealth of some)

They must follow every movement

All the time everywhere

Your walk to the drugstore

Your time at the fair

The people you encounter

Who breathe the same air

It all makes sense

In a fight for our lives

But our freedoms once taken

May never revive

In a battle for survival

Privacy is the first casualty

The Second Wave

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The Second Wave

When history is written it will record

We grew too confident

We dropped our guard

We had the virus on the run

Kept our distance stayed at home

Till the sun came shining

And the days looked bright

And we celebrated the close

Of a long goodnight

So when it comes back

To reap sweet revenge

What will we do then? 

Fight back or give in?

We’ll fight of course

And we’ll fight again

That’s who we are

And always have been

We’ll fight and fight and fight

Till at last we win

Contact Tracing

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Contact Tracing

He was a hands on kind of guy

He liked to look you in the eye

Grab you by your shoulder

Take and shake your hand

Always wore a smile

Had a lot of things to say

Too old to change his ways

When the great shadow came

And it seemed like it might stay

He shook hands with his neighbor

Who took it home to his kid

Who spent an hour in the park

Where he played with his friend

Who took it home to his father

Where his Uncle Mac gave him a hug

And passed it to his mother

Who forgot about the virus

When she walked down to the store

Where the clerk had a word

And passed it to her friend

Who helped your grandson patch a tire

Who passed it on to you

How could such a thing happen

When we’ve taken all precautions?

We are only as strong

As our weakest bond

The Highest Price

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The Highest Price

Hurricanes twisters pandemics depression

An infestation of rats and mice

It’s a hard hard truth and it’s cold as ice

The poor folks pay the highest price

From the Bronx to Philadelphia

Baton Rouge to Atlanta West

Atlantic City to Detroit

Old Seattle to Miami vice

No matter how you toss the dice

The poor folks pay the highest price

From the race riots in ‘65

The great Chicago fire

Falling bridges collapsing towers

So much tragedy so much loss

The poor folks pay the highest cost

The color of wealth is white and yellow

The color of want is black and brown

When hard times hit and knock us down

They hit hardest on the poor side of town

Dying for Democracy (Wisconsin)

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Dying for Democracy (Wisconsin)

Determined people stand in line

Six feet apart hours on hours

Wearing masks and gloves

In rain and wind and cold

To cast their votes and

Speak their rightful minds

What price democracy? 

The highest law in the land

The justices supreme decree

Anyone who votes this day

Must gamble with their lives

What do you say?

Do you want to die today?

How much does it mean to you?

One last vote for a dying democracy

One last stand before the end

One last salute to duty

Honor and the American way