Fighting Fire with Fire

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Fighting Fire

 

Texas started this fight

Will we turn the other cheek?

Knowing well it is not right

The fierce against the meek

 

Let’s be very clear

They are devaluing the vote

They very last thing you will hear

Is the sinking of the boat

 

They want to steal the next election

With their gerrymandering plan

They are spreading this infection

Hoping you won’t understand

 

Our democracy is at stake

If we fail to take a stand

Stop the steal, slam the brakes

Send a message across the land

 

You fight this fire with fire

That’s the only way it works

Our republic’s not for hire

To these power-hungry jerks

 

 

Saving Social Security

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN POLITICS

 

Saving Social Security

 

The solutions to the problem of the

Social Security fund

The fund that ensures retirement

For each and everyone

Is not as complicated as politicians say

Just make a simple adjustment

To how much the wealthy pay

 

Extend collections upward

Adjust the payments down

Overnight the fund is solvent

And placed on solid ground

Make it a moving standard

Proportionate to the facts

We’ll call it by a simple name

The Saving Social Security Act

 

The elder folks should never be

Abandoned by the nation

From sea to glorious sea

Let’s offer up salvation

A fund that’s always guaranteed

That never will expire

A simple and eternal seed

When we grow old and retire

 

Police State

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AUTHORITARIANISM

 

Police State

 

Crime in the district is down

Don’t let the facts get in the way

The Guard is coming to town

It’s law and order day

 

The district is not the first

They’ll be coming back to LA

From there it only gets worse

They’re coming to town to stay

 

There’ll be no more demonstrations

No more protests of any kind

Welcome to the police nation

Want a job? Get in line

 

They’ll have your number and your name

They’ll know exactly what you’re up to

The dirty immigrants are to blame

Put em all in an immigrant zoo

 

Your freedoms and your rights?

Just how much do they mean?

The dimming of the light

Among the worst we’ve ever seen

 

True History (revisited)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUE HISTORY

 

True History (revisited)

 

Let’s replace true history

With a tale of American heroism

There isn’t any mystery

But a lot of phony mysticism

 

There were no civilized tribes

When the explorers crossed the sea

There never was a genocide

We let the natives be

 

The Africans were valued guests

They were never made to serve

Their lives were comforting and blessed

They got what they deserved

 

The internment of the Japanese

Was meant to keep them safe

Most of them were very pleased

They learned to know their place

 

Civil Rights came and went

But nothing really changed

All our rights were heaven sent

The protests are deranged

 

America is always right

We’ve never lost a war

We are the keepers of the light

We always lift the poor

 

(Trump orders a reorganization of

the Smithsonian to reflect his image

of American greatness.)

 

Immigration Man

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: IMMIGRATION

 

Immigration Man

 

Have you seen that immigration man?

Have you seen that immigration man?

Have you seen that immigration man?

I’ve been hearing his name all over this land

 

Looks just like a military man

Looks just like a military man

Looks just like a military man

Baton and rifle in his hands

 

Round em up and carry them away

Round em up and carry them away

Round em up and carry them away

Got no money? You ain’t got no say

 

Family man, wife and kids at home

Family man, wife and kids at home

Family man, wife and kids at home

Run and hide, forever you will roam

 

Farmer says they’ve got a job to do

Farmer says they’ve got a job to do

Farmer says they’ve got a job to do

The man says, we’ll take em when they’re through

 

Have you seen that immigration man?

Have you seen that immigration man?

Have you seen that immigration man?

I’ve been hearing his name all over this land

 

(after Woody Guthrie’s Vigilante Man)

 

Don't Feed the Beast

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: EPSTEIN FILES

 

Feed the Beast

 

When the monster is approaching

When he’s knocking at your door

Refuse to let him in

Unless you know what for

 

The monster always wears a mask

You will never see his face

If you should meet him do not ask

He is always out of place

 

She is a dirty cheater

She never plays it fair

If you should ever greet her

She’ll catch you in her lair

 

They will take what you most treasure

They will roast you for a feast

They’ll consume you at their leisure

Do not feed the beast

 

The beast is waiting for you

He’s knocking at your door

She’ll whisper she adores you

It’s then you’ll hear the roar

 

(re: Epstein and Maxwell)

 

Neverending Tragedy

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

 

Neverending Tragedy

 

The flood of the Guadalupe

Was the beginning of a tragedy

After so many needless deaths

The response is a travesty

 

They’re still waiting for a hand

And they’ve waited long enough

FEMA said: We understand

The state of Texas said: Tough!

 

When the cameras went away

The politicians did the same

Leaving no one there to say

What happened here is a shame

 

The Feds will blame the state

The state will blame the Feds

Meantime the people wait

An act of God someone said

 

But God did not fail

To heed the ample warnings

And God did not rail:

There’s no such thing as global warming!

 

 

Preparations

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CATASTROPHES

 

Preparations

 

A threat to all of humankind

Duck and cover under desks

Let’s pretend we’re deaf and blind

What has created such a mess?

Have you ever wondered why?

Our preparations are in jest

Out of sight and out of mind

Let us hope it turns out best

Everything will be fine

Maybe – more or less

 

The storms are growing ever stronger

The wrath is ever greater

Hurricane season is even longer

And autumn is even later

The future is looking dark and grim

Shadows falling everywhere

Our chances growing very slim

Yet we are not prepared

The light is growing dim

Stand up if your care

 

We search for something better than

The path that we’ve been walking

A better way to understand

The measures we’ve been blocking

The time is now to get prepared

Disasters will not end

Ignore the pattern if you dare

It’s just around the bend

Here, there and everywhere

It soon could be the end

 

Global Warming Blues

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CLIMATE CHANGE

 

Global Warming Blues

 

A great wave of sweltering heat

From Boston down to Baton Rouge

Pounding people to the beat

Of the global warming blues

 

We knew it was coming down

We’ve seen this heat before

The coil’s come unwound

We fear what lies in store

 

Old folks in their old folks homes

Will suffer most of all

Except for those who live alone

They’re up against the wall

 

But everyone will feel the pain

When the power grid is lost

And all involved will feel the strain

When it’s time to pay the cost

 

You’ve heard from the talking heads

You’ve seen it on the news

You’re shaken and you feel the dread

Of the global warming blues

 

The Final Hour

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: DEMOCRACY

 

The Final Hour

 

Freedom is no longer free

The brutes have come to power

We have entered our last plea

It is nearing the final hour

 

We thought we could fight the machine

With the weapons that words provide us

The machine doesn’t know what it means

We’re desperate for someone to guide us

 

Justice is no longer just

Decency was devoured

We’ve lost all sense of trust

We’re approaching the final hour

 

We believed the good would prevail

By the strength of our institutions

The four pillars would never fail

We would push for better solutions

 

But freedom is no longer free

And justice belongs to power

We swore that this could never be

We’re nearing the final hour

 

Yet there is time to make amends

There is time to forge another path

Before the road of history bends

Before the despot’s wrath

 

The Epstein Files

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUMP

 

The Epstein Files

 

Livid are the MAGA folks

Near exploding with rage

They didn’t get the joke

They’re certain it was staged

 

The didn’t see the humor

They didn’t even smile

Like waiting for the rapture

They’ll have to wait a while

 

They were promised revelation

Transparency and more

An Epstein file sensation

Open up the iron doors

 

The pedophiles were trembling

With fear and trepidation

The ranks were disassembling

The depths of deprivation

 

But when the files were opened

Surprise! There’s nothing there

The world’s most powerful men

Would never be laid bare

 

MAHA

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUMP

 

MAHA

 

You divide us by our shades

You make enemies of our friends

You make innocents afraid

Some wounds will never mend

 

You attack our institutions

Freedom of the press

It’s clear you’ve no solutions

You just create a mess

 

You didn’t end the wars

You only made things worse

We don’t know what’s in store

The global warming curse

 

So now you’re in a daze

Striking out in all directions

The issues that you raise

Are like a strange infection

 

It just won’t go away

That Epstein thing is growing

There’s nothing you can say

Without the people knowing

 

Make America Great Again?

I don’t think you’re being fair

It’s Make America Hate Again

Does anyone still care?

 

 

Gringo Go Home!

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: IMMIGRATION

 

Gringo Go Home

 

Up north they want the border closed

Down south they’re beginning to see

Both sides want the change to slow

They’re not sure what to plead

 

The northerners are moving in

The cost of housing on the rise

The locals lose, the landlords win

When they cater to the gentrified

 

The workers cannot pay the rent

They being pushed aside

Their patience is being spent

Not much longer will they ride

 

It’s happening across the board

On both sides of the border

It strikes on a rebellious chord

And triggers law and order

 

The people rise up everywhere

Their anger springs from fear

You don’t want our workers there?

We don’t want your money here!

 

(Massive protests in Mexico City)

 

Security

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: PEACE

 

Security

 

Security cannot be achieved through firearms

Security cannot be achieved by force

Though desired by all and everywhere

Security is a matter of course

 

We are not made safe by walls and fences

We are not made safe by arms

If we wish to erect our best defenses

We must honor the saying: Do no harm

 

No one wants to live danger

Yet danger lives most everywhere

It might be a friend or an unknown stranger

It may glance at you or stare

 

You will know it when it takes its place

You will know it when it acts

When it takes you in its cold embrace

Your whole world will turn to black

 

Love your neighbor as you love yourself

Be as fair and honest as you know how

Every human should be treated well

More than ever we need it now

 

Nefarious Conspiracy

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CONSPIRACY

 

Nefarious Conspiracy

 

I am not one who discounts the possibility

Of nefarious conspiracy among the elite

You could fill the pages of world history

With conspiracy in victory and defeat

 

The rise of the Nazis was a conspiracy

The murder of Abraham Lincoln

Suspicion rises to strong possibility

With both Kennedys and nine-eleven

 

Those who mock conspiracy theories

Have long hidden their heads in the sand

It’s never the story that wrong and dreary

It is who came up with the plan

 

There are conspiracies in darkened rooms

That are being formed as I speak

There are countless skeletons in the tombs

If the naked truth is what you seek

 

Those in power have all conspired

To keep it in their greedy hands

With evil purpose the halls are wired

As we serve at their command

 

Friends and Adversaries

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRADE 

 

Friends and Adversaries

 

We used to be the best of friends

Now we pose a threat

On trade our friendship now depends

The balance of our debt

 

For Canada and Mexico

Our patience has grown thin

The tariff threat will come and go

And neither side will win

 

Brazil was once our ally

When Bolsonaro was in charge

But Trump and Lula will not lie

Their relationship is hard

 

We used to like democracies

At the least we gave the lie

Now we only like autocracies

That virtue would defy

 

We need to find our truth again

We’ve lost it in the haze

Let’s move to where we’ve never been

Those better, brighter days

 

 

Climate Deniers

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

 

Deniers

 

For the many souls who were lost that day

The survivors can only pray

They throw up their arms and plead God’s will

With a shrug that gives me a chill

I wonder what these people will say

When they learn there was a safer way

They did not do what they should have done

They denied the truth that now should stun

There are no warnings for floods or fires

In the world of the climate deniers

 

They say that no one could have known

But they did and they said it clearly

The threat of disasters has only grown

And the warnings were repeated yearly

The hurricanes will batter the coast

The floods will ravage the land

Those who have little will suffer the most

And they’ll blame it on God’s left hand

But the rain and wind and the raging fire

Are the products of the climate deniers