Pity the Poor (On Thanksgiving)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: POVERTY

 

Pity the Poor

 

Pity the man who has no bread

Pity the child who is not fed

Pity the stranger against the wall

Have pity for us one and all

 

We live our lives in desperation

Never knowing what it’s for

The poor within a wealthy nation

Pounding at the rich man’s door

 

We are the homeless in the city

We’ve lost our families long ago

We live on kindness and on pity

We’ve suffered every kind of blow

 

We rise up each and every day

We do what we must do

Try to find a place to stay

Before the day is through

 

Pity the poor who have no say

Pity the one who feels the pain

Pity the ones who’ve gone astray

Pity the ones who feel the strain

 

We don’t want your pity

We want a helping hand

We live in every town and city

We’d like you all to understand

 

 

A Hero in Chicago

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: POLICE STATE

 

Marimar Martinez

 

Shot down like a rabid dog

On a rampage in Chicago

When they finally cleared the fog

The facts were clearly known

 

She sounded an alarm

To the folks in her community

They meant to do her harm

To break Chicago’s unity

 

But cameras showed the story

The border agent lied

They stripped him of his glory

He’s lucky no one died

 

He tried to take her life

For standing up to her convictions

You could cut it with a knife

The tension and suspicions

 

You are not wanted here

Go back to where you came from

You are only spreading fear

Like the pounding of a war drum

 

Marimar is a hero

A bold and shining light

A light that ever grows

A force for good and right

American Gestapo

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: POLICE STATE

 

American Gestapo

 

A secret agent of the state

That targets a minority

Enough to make us contemplate

The darkest page of history

 

They have money in their bank

Without constraint of oversight

They could buy a Sherman tank

And roll it down the street at night

 

No one wants them in their town

No one wants them in their city

They only take good people down

In a way that’s never pretty

 

They no longer have a place

In a land that’s free and just

If they vanished without a trace

Few would grieve or even cuss

 

For they’ve earned the scorn of all

Who hold our values in esteem

As they rise our virtue falls

We who hold on to the dream

 

Please believe us when we say

Your kind is never wanted here

Yours will never be our way

For we hold the promise dear

 

Shame

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

 

Shame

 

As nations gather in Brazil

In concern for global warming

Say what you can and what you will

It’s getting late for warnings

 

Shame on those who are not here

Shame on the deniers

Like a ship without a mate to steer

Or a flame inside a fire

 

The United States is not alone

But lonely in its absence

In time all nations must atone

For now they stand in silence

 

China stands with Mexico

Australia with Japan

The absentees begin to grow

To the detriment of man

 

It seems we are not capable

Of seeing past tomorrow

We’re content with being stable

While we wallow in our sorrows

 

But time is not our friend

When the planet is in danger

We’re barreling towards the end

In a world that’s growing stranger

 

BBC V. Donald Trump

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUMP

  

BBC V. Donald Trump

 

The Donald took his shakedown

Across the Atlantic Sea

But his vengeance cruise ran aground

When he faced the BBC

 

We all watched as it went down

A clear attempt at a violent coup

Their report* was on solid ground

Though the Donald’s rage but grew

 

He challenged an angry mob

To assault the people’s house

He proclaimed revenge as his job

Whipped them up til they were roused

 

He told them he would lead them

Like a commander leads an attack

In the end he’d only bleed them

Before he finally walked it back

 

The man was guilty as bloody hell

The BBC should stand its ground

The day the republic almost fell

Their report was fully sound

 

* BBC report on January 6^th

Homeland Security

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN POLITICS

 

Homeland Security

 

Homeland Security was supposed

to protect us from terrorist attacks

Now they’re rounding up immigrants

on the streets of our cities

They’ve become a force of oppression

A force that the people fight back

 

This is the way of law enforcement

This is the way of intelligence agencies

They may begin with good intentions

But they gather power like shit gathers flies

They become the instruments of some

madman’s misbegotten lies

 

Are there no real terrorists to fight?

Or have they dropped the ball once again?

Are they on the job or have they lost sight?

Just like they did way back then

 

They don’t belong on the streets of LA

They should not be doing the job of ICE

Go back to you origin and find a way

Or we will all be paying a steep price

 

 

Orban the Despotic

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

 

Orban the Despotic

 

Victor Orban and Donald Trump

The despot and the wannabe

When Orban yells his people jump

The dream the Donald dreams

 

There is no opposition

He puts them all in jail

He believes in superstitions

Orban the Great can never fail

 

They share an admiration

For the empires of old

They’d love to lead their nations

In thrones of purest gold

 

They subvert their constitutions

With every kind of measure

Like destroying institutions

That expose their dirty pleasures

 

Orban should go back home

We don’t need his tactics here

Your final days will come

We pray those days are near

 

 

Words

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: POEMICS

 

Words

 

Socialism is economics

A counterpoint to capitalism

Democracy is politics

A counter to authoritarianism

 

Don’t be afraid of words

When you don’t know what they mean

Don’t believe what you’ve heard

Question most of what you’ve seen

 

Communism does not exist

In any nation, town or state

If someone calls its name resist

And check the expiration date

 

Those who use these words to scare

Should not be trusted or embraced

They’re on the sly and do not care

They lack for honesty and grace

 

Words are charged with hidden meaning

They can mislead you and deceive

Some words could use a thorough cleaning

They have something up their sleeves

 

 

Hope Rises

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

 

Hope Rises

 

Hope rises like the Phoenix

And crashes like a bomb

Take a breath, make a wish

Decide what side you’re on

 

When you’re on the side of hope

You’re a moment from despair

From worrying how to cope

To doubting why you care

 

When hope rises from the dust

Every day becomes bright

When we shake off all that rust

We set out to make it right

 

We are the hopeful warriors

Just like we’ve always been

We’re workers and we’re lawyers

We’re ready to fight again

 

For hope rises with the sun

And hope falls in the deep of night

The long war cannot be won

Yet we will always seek the light

 

 

Reclaiming the Flag

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Reclaiming the Flag

 

Everybody wants to know what went down

Everybody has a point of view

Open up your ears and hear that sound

That’s a debt coming due

 

We reclaimed the flag last night

The colors red, white and blue

We took a flame to a firefight

We held strong and true

 

The next time they call you Red

Throw it back in their ugly faces

Defiance is the force they dread

In all the nation’s disparate places

 

We marched together hand in hand

Every color, tribe and station

We waved the flag across the land

Reclaiming our true nation

 

We weren’t afraid to take a stand

We weren’t afraid to tell it straight

In words that all could understand

Our America is great

 

Freedom

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Freedom

 

Those who are blessed to be free

May not know how it would be

If our rights were taken from us

Would we even make a fuss?

 

When one innocent is imprisoned

All good people are on the run

Like a shadow on the sun

The light is blocked for everyone

 

When Peltier * was released

The light of freedom shined bright

Enabling all of us to breathe

Bringing freedom into sight

 

When we refuse to do our part

To stop oppression in plain view

There is an emptiness of heart

That informs us what to do

 

For all of us are in this now

From the farmers to the cops

Let our conscience show us how

Tell our government to stop

 

Freedom is a gift to all

Guaranteed by our constitution

If our sacred rights should fall

We must demand restitution

 

* Leonard Peltier, Lakota Spirit Guide

   Granted a pardon by Joe Biden

 

 

Trashing the White House

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUMP

 

Trashing the White House

 

He’s trashed part of the White House

For a big and gilded ballroom

We’re all quiet as a mouse

As he destroys the nation’s heirloom

 

The destruction of antiquities

As bad as it may seem

Is nothing to the liquidity

Of the great American dream

 

The constitution is imperiled

The world’s order is in danger

The White House has gone feral

All our friends are now strangers

 

So he’s tearing the West Wing down

Like it’s a condo on the beach

All in service to his crown

There is little beyond his reach

 

He’s closing in on Mount Rushmore

What a conquest that would be

A golden bust that he’ll adore

Large enough for all to see

 

All the strongmen will agree

He’s the greatest show in town

For a modest if tainted fee

You can break the White House down

 

 

Mister Speaker (No Kings)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Mister Speaker (No Kings)

 

How dare you Mister Speaker

Accusing us of hate

Your case could not be weaker

Our America is great

 

Yours is less than honest

You speak with forked tongues

While your twisted leader cons us

Into giving up our young

 

You’d like to fix the game

That we call voting rights

To your eternal shame

You’re gunning for a fight

 

We’re fighting for the nation

In its democratic pride

You’re pushing subjugation

Oppression system wide

 

We stand for our traditions

Against treachery and fear

You’re guilty of sedition

There will be no kings here

 

 

Each in Their Own Way (No Kings)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: DEMOCRACY

 

Each in Their Way (No Kings)                                                                      

 

The are holding a great rally today

A mass gathering in the streets of protest

Some will march and some will pray

Let each for each decide what’s best

 

For each will give in his or her own way

That must be decided for oneself

A gathering of protest for this day

A secret wish that all will turn out well

 

Let all be welcomed to this growing cause

Let all who rise proclaim it far and loud

We stand for truth and justice within the law

For all who stand the nation should be proud

 

Some will gather stones and call us names

For truth and justice aren’t without cost

Those who stand it now can have no shame

Knowing that this war cannot be lost

 

Those who march have many more behind

A rising tide will lift all boats at sea

Believers in the cause are of one mind

No kings, no queens, no rights of monarchy

 

Democracy (No Kings!)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Democracy (No Kings)

 

They will accuse us of betrayal

They will scorn at our elitism

They will threaten with reprisal

They will brand us with communism

 

But we are not the nation’s traitors

Our people aren’t the elites

We are not the treasure raiders

We will not march to your beat

 

For we are loyal to the cause

That your leaders have forgotten

Along with fundamental laws

Your chosen government is rotten

 

We believe in the republic

You’re deceived in crowning kings

We refuse to be their subjects

Behold the outrage we will bring

 

We are defenders of the nation

To the best of its intent

With the pride of its foundation

We oppose this president