The King

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

The King

 

When asked what kind of nation

The founders had secured

A wise man said: A republic

If a republic you can keep

Then the people went to sleep

And waited for a civil war

To expand the voting franchise

To men of dark complexion

And men of lower means

Then we slept again for a century

Before we let the women in

Another century of sleep goes by

While we allow minority rule

Let the senate play us for fools

Let the wealthy buy the party

Blocked the sound that freedom rings

And sanctified a king

 

The angels have no wings

Our divas do not sing

Democracy has lost its zing

Jay-Z without his bling

America has crowned a king

 

Pardon me dear friends

Is this but a dream:

The election has been cancelled

By our self-anointed king

 

For What it's Worth

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

For What it’s Worth

 

The taste of fresh clean water

A sparkling stream

A moonlit sky

A drive along the coast highway

Hearing Santana for the first time

Jazz on the Coltrane

A walk in Central Park

Laughter in a canyon

The smile of a stranger

A celebratory birth

The things we take for granted

For what it’s worth

 

A fine Beaujolais at dinner

Fresh ale at the end of a ride

Visions of an eagle’s flight

A dance of muses

Botticelli’s masterworks

A magic bus to the heavens

A dive to ocean depths

The crisp high mountain air

Kids on a playground

The miracle of birth

The things we take for granted

For what it’s worth

 

Tracking down a long fly ball

A kite on the wind

The scent of cinnamon pastry

The immortal soul of Billie Holiday

A floating white cloud

The mourning cry of a dying sun

The song of a rising moon

The glory of Crazy Horse

A warm fire on a frigid night

Life on planet earth

The things we take for granted

For what it’s worth

 

 

The Soul

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

 

The Soul

 

Have I spoken to you of the soul?

Have I spoken of the center of life?

Have I spoken to you about that

Which remains when all else fades?

Have I spoken to you of the soul?

 

In the spring of life

When the body blooms

And draws to earthly pleasures

Like wildlife to a fertile garden

When desire is everything

And heartbreak takes its toll

There is no need of soul

 

In the summer of youth

When the mind opens to a world

Of endless possibilities

We step out of our safe confines

To explore the open road

In search of adventure and awe

Seeking secrets of our yearning

We wonder what it’s like to grow old

We discover the hidden soul

 

In the autumn of our journey

We seek the knowledge of elders

And the wisdom of vision seekers

Our thoughts turn to darkness

We become aware of Death

That powerful and mystic friend

We don’t want our lives to end

Before we learn and know

The contents of our soul

 

In the winter of our descent

We seek calm and peace of mind

We seek to pass our knowledge on

To those in love we hold

We have reached our lifelong goal

We have uncovered our soul

 

Have I spoken to you of the soul?

Have you found your place in life?

Have you located the meaning

That makes your life whole?

Have you asked what I’ve learned?

Would you like to know?

Have we talked about the soul?

 

Vengeance

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR

Vengeance

 

The path of vengeance

Is not easily taken

But when the nation

To its core is shaken

We must act in accord

With conscience

 

There is a line

We dare not cross

Lest we sacrifice ourselves

In our souls we sense the loss

Our compass on a shelf

 

Our enemies are great and strong

And morally bereft

They pull us where we don’t belong

We fear there’s nothing left

 

There will be no vengeance taken

Not today not tomorrow

We’ll suffer through the madness

And exorcise our sorrow

 

Tomorrow will be better

Better still the day after

For we will find the key to hope

in faith and in laughter

 

Words Flow (Don't Know Why)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR

Words Flow 

 

Words flow

Like the wind blows

In a tropical storm

On a raging sea

 

What can it be?

What can it be?

 

Thoughts course

Like the river goes

Through a granite canyon

On a millennial run

 

It has begun

It has begun

 

Emotions follow

Like a child’s growth

In the teenage years

When the heart explodes

 

Where does it go?

Where does it go?

 

Dreams float

Like the sky snows

In Sierra winters

On an open road

 

What does it show?

What does it show?

 

My mind opens

Like a clear blue sky

When a drifting cloud

Comes floating by

 

Don’t know why

Don’t know why

 

Find your Bliss

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Find your Bliss

 

When days are dark and hazy

When waking is a chore

When at your best you’re lazy

When every nerve is bored

Take stock of all you know

And just remember this: 

Find your bliss

 

The death toll keeps on ringing

The impulse is to weep

The sirens keep on singing

Our leaders went to sleep

Do not become forlorn

Think of what you’d miss

Find your bliss

 

Every cloud a silver lining

Every fall a rise above

Cease the never ending whining

Greet worry with a shove

Start the day with a kiss

And remember this: 

Find your bliss

 

(In memory of Joseph Campbell)

 

 

Endure

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Endure

 

A ladybug on a leaning tower

Tips the balance of global power

 

The awkward smile on a villain’s face

Propels the world to a tragic place

 

A cough a sneeze a careless choice

Distorted judgement a loss of voice

 

A series of unfortunate events

Hastens civilization’s descent

 

A dust storm on Mars an alignment of stars

A collision of cars a shot from afar

 

We are at the mercy of random chance

We cannot retreat and cannot advance

 

As if frozen in time

We have lost our rhyme

 

We stumble and fall

Cannot answer the call

 

How long can we endure

We cannot be sure

 

One thing and another

Dividing sister and brother

 

At the end of the line

We throw it in and resign

 

No and no again

 

We cannot give in

Surrender is sin

 

We will overcome

Before this is done

 

And the age of the virus is over