Therefore I Won

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Therefore I Won (Ode to the Don)

 

I was winning; therefore I won

  You must wait until it’s done

  The song’s not over until it’s sung

But I was winning; therefore I won

 

Do not be a fool my friend

The race is run until the end

There is no trophy to be held

Until the enemy is felled

 

But I was winning; therefore I won

  A greater folly cannot be known

My wife, my daughter and my sons

  In time you will atone

They all agree I am the one

  The truth comes when you’re alone

Who never loses, always wins

  It is a long and sorry tome

Losing is a sin

 

I was winning; therefore I won 

Countdown (The Final Daze)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Countdown

 

After four long years of bitter division

Four long years of catastrophic decisions

After four long years of sarcastic derision

We have seen the end of a gloomy vision

And we’re still standing

 

Countdown from the number nine

We appeal to every force divine

 

Countdown from the number eight

We pray the end comes not too late

 

Countdown from the number seven

Let all our prayers be heard in heaven

 

Countdown from the number six

Empty out his bag of tricks

 

Countdown from the number five

May our deliverance at last arrive

 

Countdown from the number four

May we finally close the door

 

Countdown from the number three

A vision of the world to be

 

Countdown from the number two

So many things we must now do

 

Countdown to the number one

Praise and glory it’s finally done

 

Intentional Negligence

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Intentional Negligence

 

To all who lost loved ones to Covid-19

Does it help to know their intentions

To infect the young and healthy

To encourage the viral spread

To achieve herd immunity

To secure a second term?

 

Does it help to know they didn’t mean

To kill the vulnerable and elderly?

Does it help to know they didn’t care?

 

Whether intentional or folly

They did their best to spread it around

To infect as many as they could

To keep the markets thriving

Until Election Day

 

After that who knows?

It no longer mattered

It was all about the man on top

The man in the golden mirror

The man with a deep psychological need

To best the best and stay in power

The man of every hour

No matter how many died

 

Delusions

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  AMERICAN POLITICS

Delusions

 

Delusions of grandeur take on new meaning

With the man in power screaming screaming

I won! I won! When he clearly lost

Democracy may be the cost

For a man who long ago lost touch

(kindness forbids to say how much)

With stern reality on planet earth

An empty vessel is more than he’s worth

 

He believes he can unwind the wind

And with a magic spell begin again

Falling falling to his knees

He summons the gods with his pleas

But his delusion runs too deep

His sanity he cannot keep

He bids farewell his sycophants

And falls back to his twitter rants

 

So long goodbye my president

All my reason is now spent

 

A Promise of Unity

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: 2020 ELECTION

A Promise of Unity

 

The promise of tomorrow begins today

We clear our sleepy heads in wonder

Was it a dream or will it stay

To cast our fears asunder

 

We wait with guarded optimism

As a divided nation lends its ears

To the newly elected president

Who owns the wisdom of his years

 

Those who brought him to the dance

With affection give him cheers

Others concede to give him a chance

To push back our darkest fears

 

A spirit of unity is born again

After four long years in hiding

Those who walked a lonely path

Are pleased to finally be riding

 

The way ahead will not be easy

We all know that much is true

But we are pledged to understand

What it’s like to wear another’s shoes

 

For tomorrow is another day

A chance to write the story new

We are a nation of true believers

Neither red nor green nor blue

A New Day II

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

A New Day

 

The night was long my vision clouded

Sleep came hard and dreams were shrouded

Shadows danced round jumping flames

The world may never be the same

 

The counting never ended

Morning would not come

The rising of the sun

 

A new day

A new dawn

A new way has begun

 

We dared not ever hope again

Yet hope we did (it felt like sin)

We lingered on a distant past

When all our dreams were tossed and trashed

The morning after crash and burn

It seemed we’d never learn

Those horrid days are done

 

A new day

A new dawn

A new way has begun

 

Humility in victory

A touch of grace in loss

The time has come for decency

No matter who has won

 

A new day

A new dawn

A new way has begun

 

Standing By

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  2020 ELECTION

Standing By

 

The ballots are cast

The counting in process

The polls have all closed

The night is upon us

Our future hangs by a thin red line

White men with weapons are standing by

 

We’ve talked till we’re dizzy

Worked till we dropped

We’ve begged and we’ve pleaded

Oh lord make it stop

We’ve marched in the streets

Called out all the lies

White men with weapons are standing by

 

The president is howling

Like a rabid beast

Don’t count all the votes

In the west or the east

I’ll stay in the White House

Till the day that I die

White men with weapons are standing by

 

Night turns to day

Day turns to night

The people are restless

There’s no end in sight

The president advises

Take it all in good stride

White men with weapons are standing by

Lady of the Flame

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Lady of the Flame

 

The gift of liberty cannot be taken

Without blood and mourning

She holds her head high

She reaches for the heavens

Because she has sacrificed

That and those she holds dear

For whom she now cries

 

The lady of the flame is fearful

She has seen and lost too much

She has watched the blood of patriots

Feed the fuels of tyranny

She has been the subject of a tyrant’s praise

Her proud demeanor compromised

Her dignity and grace besmirched

By hateful hurtful lies

 

She has traveled through the ages

Leading many a march of freedom

Only to be led astray

She will not hide her head in shame

She will rise and rise again

She will light the way

In the end she will win

 

Our beautiful lady of liberty

May her flame never die

She will outlive this travesty

She will endure the great lie

 

The Dream

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: 2020 ELECTION

The Dream

 

Understanding across humanity

Empathy for the poor

An end to hunger and starvation

Poverty no more

 

Equality across the races

Decent homes for everyone

Jobs at living wages

We must work until it’s done

 

No more wars in other nations

To boost the corporate treasure

No more punishing the powerless

To serve our morbid pleasure

 

We will build it from the ground up

A tribute to all that’s good

Not a monument to the past

But to show we understood

 

The dream is not over

It has only just begun

When all the votes are counted

The people will have won

 

The Finish Line

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  2020 ELECTION

The Finish Line

 

Pushing hard and pushing harder

Harder than any endeavor can demand

Harder than a marble fortress

Harder than a rich man’s heart

Harder than a dull man’s fate

 

A billion minds melding into one

Focused on a singular goal

Stretching pulling lifting driving

All pistons firing beyond capacity

Praying to any and all deities

Tempting the heart of fate

Dancing under moonlight

Summoning the forces

Stirring the mystic potions

Chanting in other worldly voices

Calling forth the spirits

Reaching for the stars

Exhausted beyond all words

Falling to the floor

Picking ourselves back up

To exert ourselves once more…

 

We have reached the finish line

One last thrust and drive

Collapse and release

Our long mission complete

Rest in solemn comfort

Exhale in lasting peace

Knowing we have done

All that we could do

 

The race is over

Breathe in breathe out

And let it go

 

Spreader in Chief

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES

Spreader in Chief

 

Incredibly infectious

It travels through the air

But the man at the top

Spreads it on a dare

 

He thinks he’s Superman

And in once sense he’s right

As the spreader-in-chief

His light shines bright

 

No one wants to be a number

To a virus that doesn’t care

If you take due precaution or

Get caught in the president’s lair

 

After a dance in the devil’s den

You’d think he’d change his tune

But he hasn’t learned a thing

He’s as crazy as a loon

 

How can one man be so callous

To willfully ignore the spread

Something inside is rotten

The part that cares is dead

 

Undecided

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Undecided

 

Democracy or despotism

However can we choose?

Incompetence and bigotry

What have we got to lose?

 

We’ve watched this rolling train

Like a virus on the loose

We see what looms ahead

We’re riding in the caboose

 

We can stay on this errant track

If we’re determined to die

Or we can slam on the brakes

Put an end to the great lie

 

We will have to rebuild of course

There’s no way around it

It’s broken and scattered

That’s the way that we found it

 

But don’t tell me it’s hard

To choose between the two

There’s no choice at all

It’s the false and the true

 

What we choose to do now

Sets the future in place

The fate of our children

And the whole human race

Thirteen Days

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Thirteen Days

 

Thirteen days to the thirteenth

Most important election

Of my lifetime

 

I don’t remember who

I voted for back then

I know I never voted Republican

(It’s not in my bones)

I know I never voted for war

(Conscientious objection)

I know I never got the chance

To vote for a Kennedy

(I saw Bobby on the train to LA)

 

I do remember voting for Nader

I remember voting for Leonard Peltier

I remember voting for Hope

Remember Hope?

 

Every time every election

Every four years I was told

It was the most important

Election in my lifetime

 

Vietnam

The Gulf War

Afghanistan and Iraq

Global warming

Global pandemic

American democracy

Voter suppression

Voting rights

Civil rights

Women’s rights

Universal healthcare

The next Great Depression

Fire wind and rain

The fertile earth

 

This time they’re right

This time it’s real

This time all the cards

Are on the table

 

The Magic Pill

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  2020 ELECTION

The Magic Pill                                                                                   

 

Nixon offered a secret plan

To end the carnage in Vietnam

 

Bush swore our taxes would be cut

He promised us no matter what

 

Politicians tell you what you want to hear

They play to your bias hatred and fear

  

So now the president has a magic pill

Just take it with water and sit real still

 

When the election is over if it goes his way

He’ll swear what he said he did not say

 

The lesson is clear if you have any sense

What a politician says is not what he meant

 

Kanye West

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: POLITICS

Kanye West                                                                                       

 

They say you’re a genius

But I just don’t see it

If you’re a true master

Don’t act it be it

I know you can rap

But you ain’t close to the best

If you’re a stooge for the White House

You don’t pass the test

 

When you stood up to Bush

You earned political cred

But when you stood up for Donald

You earned nothing but dread

You better look at what’s happening

On the streets of the nation

Then look at who’s serving

Your race invocation

You may think you know better

You may think you know best

But there’s no bigger fool

Than Kanye West

 

Yeah you think you’re so cool

You let yourself be used

To betray your own people

Who have been much abused

You may have all the money

But you’re lesser than less

Ain’t nobody worse

Than Kanye West

 

Irony

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: 2020 ELECTION

Irony

 

Our president is a civil rights candidate

(he sponsors the great disenfranchisement)

He’s a champion of women’s rights

(who never heard of the ERA)

He stands for the little guy

(minimum income 500 K)

He got us out of the Middle East wars

(without removing our presence there)

He faced down the great pandemic

(180,000 dead and counting)

He rebuilt a failing economy

(rescued Wall Street with borrowed cash)

He is the greatest president since Lincoln

(the worst since Herbert Hoover)

He will save us from ourselves

(or will he fool us once again)

 

Saint Donald

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  TRUMP

Saint Donald

 

The great Saint Donald

Beloved of the Navaho

(except in their hour of need

when the virus ravaged the reservation

while the president claimed it was a hoax)

Liberator of the blacks

(and fervent advocate of Blue Lives Matter)

Champion of Latin Americans

(unless you don’t have your papers

then you’re killers rapists and thugs)

Reformer of the prison system

(as the private prison industry thrives)

Destroyer of regulations

(like clean air water and worker safety)

Bringer of prosperity

(for stock holders and CEO’s)

Builder of a sound economy

(except for the last eight months)

Guarantor of thriving times

(working people’s wages in decline)

Appointer of rightwing corporate judges

(who pander to religious zealots)

Champion of industry

(denier of climate change)

Propagator of the truth

(if truth is propaganda)

Defender of American heroes

(Jefferson Davis and Jim Crowe)

 

Behold Saint Donald!

Savior of the nation!

(destroyer of the world!)

 

(Day 2 of the GOP convention)