May Day (Premature Celebration)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

May Day

 

The mood is jubilation

The Derby is in bloom

Thousands gather in celebration

A portent of what looms

 

Have we jumped the gun again?

Lowered the bar to the ground?

Have we forgotten where we’ve been?

Rising when we should stay down?

 

I fear the worst will follow

Declaring victory before it’s done

These celebrations will ring hollow

Raising a pennant we have not won

 

I dearly hope that I am wrong

But I have seen this act before

Could it be the same old song:

Dropping anchor too far from shore

Dignity

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  LIFE SONGS

Dignity

 

I am a proud man

In this I am everyone

I have crossed the seven seas

I have climbed the fiercest mountain

I have faced the beast and lived

I have witnessed the wonders of the universe

Explored the farthest reaches of space

Captured the mysteries of the heart

Lost my way in a maze of dreams

and known what awestruck means

 

I have created works of beauty

Drawn tears from the eyes of men

I have known the truth of love

I have felt the sting of betrayal

I have celebrated many victories

and learned the lessons of defeat

 

When you have taken all else

My sight my soul my memories

Be merciful have sympathy

Leave me with my dignity

 

Without dignity what reason is there

to remain in this world of wonder?

 

I am Dreaming

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

I am Dreaming

 

I am dreaming of a world

Where John Lennon enjoys old age

In the company of George and Yoko

Dylan Thomas and Walt Whitman

Where conversation is song

Reflection is poetry

And there is no wrong

I am dreaming of a world where

We all belong

 

I am dreaming of a world

Where the nightingale sings

Where the air smells of roses

Where waterfalls and clarion calls

Greet every waking morning

Where purpose is a given

Where every breath has meaning

Where there is no wrong

And everyone belongs

 

I am dreaming of a world

Where heartbreak is measured

By our ability to cope

Where every sad end has a bright

New beginning filled with hope

And treasures of happiness

Where sorrow never lasts too long

And all souls belong

 

I am dreaming of a place

Where love runs through our veins

In the rivers in the rain

Where every wish is kindness

Where every want is generosity

Where there is no war

Where we’ve forgotten what it’s for

Where there can be no wrong

Where we all get along

And everyone belongs

 

(after Ferlinghetti’s I am Waiting)

Modi of India

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Modi (PM Narendra Modi of India)

 

“He has lit funeral pyres in every house”

As they rush to bury the dead

“The monster swallows our people”

An overwhelmed official said

 

Modi declared victory many months ago

Celebrations ran across the nation

The deadly virus was defeated

Vaccines were the great salvation

 

Now the hospitals are overwhelmed

The crematoriums and cemeteries

The people suffer from exhaustion

Bitter with outrage and wary

 

They pretended all was well

Under their strong and boastful leader

But their collective overconfidence

Became a coronavirus breeder

 

Now they sound the toll of death

Every morning until night

What was once a victory dance

Has become an endless fight

 

The Intelligence of the Body

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  LIFE SONGS

The Intelligence of the Body

 

The body possesses intelligence

It informs the mind of what it needs

Seeking balance grace and nourishment

Healthy patterns is what it breeds

 

Abuse the mind offend the body

Abuse the body offend the mind

Mind body heart and soul

A balance of the delicate kind

 

Too often we listen to our hearts

And yield to passions of desire

Too much too soon too often

Can lead to consequence most dire

 

In following the way of the mind

Far too often we may pretend

We can far exceed our natural limit

Pushing past the point of mend

 

We often go the way of soul

We have no choice we must

But if the body cannot endure

We can no longer trust

 

The body is both hearth and home

It must endure our trials and tests

Take care to listen with respect

For the body knows what’s best