A Hero

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: HISTORY

A Hero

 

At times in our history

  A story marked with war

A person rises from obscurity

  Or from a distant shore

Who calms our insecurities

  Who rises to the test

Who grabs the call to destiny

  The finest and the best

Who honors truth and dignity

  Who guides us on the way

Who grabs us by the collar

  Who knows just what to say

No need to scream or holler

  A gentle touch will do

Who makes us stand much taller

  The false against the true

 

We need such a hero

To save us from ourselves

To lift us from our blindness

To deliver us from hell

 

We need a Joan of Arc

Without the supposition

A Napoleon Bonaparte

Without the bold ambition

 

We need a coalition

United to do good

Without the inhibitions

To do the things we should

 

Children of War

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WAR

Children of War

 

Everyone suffers the devastation of war

The death toll is too much to bear

But no one endures the suffering more

Than the children caught in its lair

 

Those who will never breathe free air

The soldiers who have sacrificed lives

The mothers and fathers whose tears we share

The husbands who lost their wives

 

Yet all of it pales to the fate of a child

Stolen from a mother’s arms

The heart and soul of innocence defiled

An unbearable depth of harm

 

Do what you must you makers of war

But leave the children alone

Do not breach that forbidden door

Hear the gods of sweet mercy moan

 

Floridian History

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN HISTORY

Floridian History

 

Native Americans were given land grants

West of the Mississippi, north of the Rio Grande

 

Choctaw and Cherokee were awarded free

Passage to Oklahoma where the wind blows

Free and the antelopes run wild

 

General Crook bravely led his troops against

A band of seasoned warriors, women and children

At Sand Creek and Washita River

 

The gallant Colonel Custer withstood a savage

Attack of Lakota and Cheyenne warriors

At the battle of Little Big Horn

 

The importation of African slaves was an

Opportunity enhancement program to prepare

Unskilled labor for the modern economy

 

The razing of Black Tulsa was the result of

Riots and angry mobs objecting to the violence

Suppression measures of law enforcement

And deputized lawful citizens

 

Lynching was the occasional result of over-

Zealous citizens taking the law into their

Own hands

 

The internment of Japanese Americans during

The Great War for freedom was simply for

their own protection

 

Prohibition and the enfranchisement of women

Were the result of wrong thinking and

Unfortunate misinformation

 

The separation of church and state goes

Against the constitution and the word of God

 

Donald Trump won two presidential

Elections by a landslide of law abiding free

White citizens

 

Go North (The Great Migration)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CLIMATE CHANGE

 

Go North (Northward Migration)

 

There was a time in the long ago

When the young listened to the old

I know it’s hard to believe it so

The old were wise, the young were bold

 

Go west, young man! the old advised

Where the air is clean and fresh

Give up your aged and tattered ties

The future’s in the west

 

So westward bound they rose and went

With dreams of wealth and health in tow

The fortunes saved were often spent

The westward trek was long and slow

 

Now the cry goes out once more

To those who seek a brighter day

The only way to go is north

A place where kids can run and play

 

Go north, young man, where hope survives

Go north to breathe clean air

Go north to keep your dreams alive

Go north if you still dare

 

The Foundations of Peace in Ukraine

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

 

Foundations of Peace in Ukraine

 

The time must come for diplomacy

The people have suffered enough

Aggression cannot be rewarded yet

The war cannot continue forever

 

The foundations of a lasting peace

Involve concessions by both sides

Guarantees for both nations

Security, sovereignty and dignity

 

A just peace must begin with the acknowledgement

That Russia was and is the aggressor

That Russia violated international law

That Russia engaged in war crimes

That Russia is guilty of the crime of

Aggressive war

 

A just peace must begin with an understanding

That Ukraine posed no threat to Russia

That Ukraine is the victim nation

That every nation has a right to sovereignty

That every nation has a right to independence

That no nation should interfere in the

Sovereign affairs of others

 

Given these essential foundations

A negotiated peace must include

The guaranteed independence of Ukraine

The withdrawal of Russian forces

An end to the occupation of disputed territories

(Crimea and Eastern Ukraine)

Provisions for monitored referendums in

The disputed territories

Security guarantees for Russia against

Acts of aggression by NATO nations

A temporary moratorium on Ukrainian

Membership in NATO

Reparations from Russia to Ukraine

For the destruction and suffering caused

By its aggressive war

Forgiveness of war crimes

Amnesty for war criminals

 

All nations must eventually learn that

An act or aggressive war is a crime against

The community of nations

 

The age of war must end