The Silent Protest

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

 

The Silent Protest

 

In Tehran they pleaded to the people

To cast their votes in the election

But the people shook their heads

Not to vote was their selection

 

When you treat the people poorly

When you trample on their rights

When you silence opposition

They will find a way to fight

 

You took away their right to march

For freedom on the streets

You tortured and abused them

Denied them the right to meet

 

They will make their feelings known

In the only ways they can

Their silence at the voting booth

Is how they choose to make a stand

 

You lost the pretense of support

You’ve lost the younger generation

Step aside and let them lead

A new and better nation

 

The Forgotten Nation

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

The Forgotten Nation

 

Anarchy has taken hold

In a state of constant misery

The criminal gangs have grown bold

Another chapter of tragic history

 

Port-au-Prince is a lawless city

Filled with violence and strife

The absence of order lessens

The value of human life

 

The French had their way with it

The Americans took their chance

Now the Kenyans take their turn

Like a sailor at a dance

 

The island nation will go on

Like it always has before

In a state of anarchy and chaos

Starvation always at their door

 

Is there nothing we can do to help

So many times we have tried

It is hard to watch Haiti’s decline

When so many people have died

End the Occupation

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ISRAEL AT WAR

End the Occupation

 

On peace in the Middle East

Our democracy may depend

A ceasefire is not enough

The occupation must end

 

We remember how it started

But it no longer really matters

The Palestinians of Gaza

Have been brutalized and battered

 

We demand an end to violence

We demand an end to war

We cannot sustain our silence

We will endure it no more

 

They are forgotten people

Denied hope, denied a home

The wandering tribes of Palestine

Abandoned and alone

 

You have pushed beyond the limits

Of our capacity to defend

You’ve become what you abhor

This occupation must end

 

Texas Wildfire

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CLIMATE CHANGE

Texas Wildfire

 

A winter wildfire on the Texas plains

To normal ears it sounds insane

The planet’s climate is inflamed

Clear the path and pray for rain

 

What madness is approaching?

Have we awakened yet?

We only have one planet

This one is all we get

 

Raging winds and pounding rain

We’ve seen it all and will again

The Lone Star state is in the crossfire

Tornadoes floods and hurricanes

 

Brace yourselves it’s getting worse

Seems like it all hits Texas first

The bubble is about to burst

It is the global warming curse

 

Ain’t it time for Texas to wise up?

The dawn has come and gone

Don’t pretend you still don’t know

The side you’re on is wrong

The Last Election

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

The Last Election

 

Who will you vote for in the last election?

Will you sit this one out?

Are you burdened with doubt?

Are you baffled by a hard selection?

Will you sit and drink a stout?

Don’t you know what it’s about?

Need some time for an inspection?

Listen to the rant and shout

 

Take a while to contemplate

The dire implications

The end of our independent state

The birth of a new nation

Conceived as an autocracy

The death of our democracy

There can be no salvation

 

Get up now and find your voice

Every woman and every man

Vote while you still have a choice

Rise up while you still can