Summer Winds

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

 

Summer Winds

 

The summer winds blow hot this year

Sparking dry brush into flame

The people run or hide in fear

On the outskirts of Marseille

 

For this the French are well prepared

They halted trains and planes

Though the fire spread and flared

It was tempered in the main

 

Wildfires strike across the globe

The floods and monster storms

Catastrophes will come in droves

As the planet has grown warm

 

It’s far too late to stem the tide

Disasters will come hard and fast

Destruction will be far and wide

The damage done will last

 

Tell your leaders everywhere

In every town and nation

The time is now to get prepared

For the great acceleration

 

 

Heat Wave in Europe

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

 

Heat Wave

 

All of Europe is on fire

From Madrid to Istanbul

The temperature is higher

No matter where you go

 

Everywhere the warming

Is driving through the air

Everywhere the harming

Is much too much to bear

 

The children are surviving

The heat is bearing down

Relief is not arriving

The waves are all around

 

You want to run for shelter

But shelter’s hard to find

A dash through helter skelter

An unforgiving bind

 

We all become believers

When children start to die

We’ll curse the rank deceivers

Who let us live the lie

 

The warming is upon us

The time has come to pass

Recall the ones who conned us

The flags will fly half mast

 

 

Ukraine Strikes Back

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE WAR

 

Ukraine Strikes Back

 

Deep in the heart of the Kremlin

They are feeling Ukrainian pain

The work of intelligence gremlins

Has left a lasting stain

 

Now the war will take its toll

Beneath all Russian eyes

Vladimir will blame the whole

On Ukraine and Europe’s spies

 

But that is not the story

As Vladimir knows too well

For starting this wrong war he

Will find his place in hell

 

For Dante knew his kind

His greed and thirst for power

As time and fate unwinds

He nears the desperate hour

 

And no one will take pity

On the man who would be king

For the bombing of the cities

The consequence will sting

 

 

 

 

Germany Steps Up

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

 

Germany Steps Up

 

In the absence of an American ally

To lead in the defense of Ukraine

Chancellor Merz has applied

With a promise of critical aid

 

There will be no limitations

On the range of Ukrainian strikes

Next target the Moscow station

Raining missiles into the night

 

Now Russia reaps what it sows

And Putin takes the blame

He is lost on a lonesome road

That leads to nowhere but shame

 

If this is what is required

To bring Putin to negotiations

Then set the Kremlin on fire

Let them plead for salvation

 

They did not want this fight

But they will surely answer back

They stand firm for what is right

Against a brutal Russian attack

 

Now your people will feel the pain

That proceeds from your dirty war

When there is nothing more to gain

What are you fighting for?

 

 

Power Failure

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TECHNOLOGY

 

Power Failure

 

Power outage across Portugal and Spain

Life goes on without electricity

The fuel that runs our electric brain

That powers our towns and cities

 

No one knows what caused the shock

But everyone feels the pain

Get out of your cars and take a walk

Your legs may feel the strain

 

We had to know this day would come

Our computers run the world

Without their power they soon go dumb

All their systems come unfurled

 

We are left to ponder the consequence

Of our dependency on machines

We are meant to question what we’ve spent

And to wonder what it means

 

We await the coming of the night

When all the cities will go dark

Will the people calmly seek the light

Or will madness light a spark?

 

Broken Promise

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUMP & PUTIN

 

Broken Promise

 

He promised to end the war

With fairness, honor and dignity

Instead his clumsy White House roar

Called for surrender without indemnity

 

If you don’t intend to keep your word

Let it be behind closed doors

For now all the world has heard

Your betrayal on the war

 

You are a Putin underling

You answer to his orders

When he snaps his fingers you must sing

Expand the Russian borders

 

You’ve broken this and every other

Promise that you’ve made

For you are Putin’s little brother

The best of plans you’ve laid

 

To redraw the world’s geography

The Russian American empires

To write a new biography

To set the world on fire

 

The whole of Europe is alarmed

They will not let this pass

They will not yield to Putin’s charm

Or bow down to the American …

Evolution of World Order

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: MAGA

 

Evolution of World Order

 

We are no longer the leader of the free world

We are the leader of the autocrats

We form a front of imperial powers

We desire to expand our territory

We are willing to use force (if necessary)

We will show no preference in trade

We will gradually withdraw from NATO

We will treat Europe as an adversary

We will absorb our northern neighbor

We will take control of Panama

We will take control of Greenland

We will hold Mexico in trust

 

It is a new world order

With America as its king

An America with borders

Of thee I sing

 

We welcome those with money

All the rest can serve as slaves

Those who dare defy us

We’ll haunt you to your graves

 

It is a new world order

The one we’ve wanted all along

Filled with chaos and disorder

Let us sing the MAGA song

An American in Munich

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

 

An American in Munich

 

He is not loud and brash

Like the despots he admires

He has no zealotry or flash

He pretends to put out fires

 

But he hides an evil motive

Beneath his tortured rationale

He promotes an ugly votive

To raise his fascist nationale

 

He appeal for lack of reason

To the enemies from within

In Munich it’s known as treason

As if we don’t know where they’ve been

 

The despots are his allies

He has no sympathy for friends

He doesn’t hear the warning cries

That our alliance is at an end

 

We know he does not care

Where Europe goes from here

It’s clear he does not share

What Europe holds most dear

 

(JD Vance lectures Munich officials

on accepting the far-right parties.)

 

Tesla Falls

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN POLITICS

 

Tesla Falls (Ode to Elon)

 

Sales of Tesla fall in France

The end of a green romance

The same holds true in Denmark

Where sales have lost their spark

They’ve lost their wonder in Berlin

In the Netherlands they cannot win

Tesla falls across the sphere

Wherever they can see and hear

The end of Tesla drawing near

They’ve seen it and they fear

 

They do not welcome autocrats

Who flaunt their rabid power

Those billionaires and greedy cats

Who build their faulty towers

The oligarchs and fascist pigs

Who flaunt their Nazi loyalties

Who celebrate at fascist gigs

As if they’re fascist royalty

 

So take your piles of dirty cash

And toss them down a hole

They’ve tired of your act at last

A man who lacks a soul

 

The Balance

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

The Balance

 

The despots have their champion

With his money and his fame

He yearns to carve an empire

And brand it with his name

 

He’s on the march in Britain

He has headquarters in Berlin

As for the rest of the world

Where do we begin?

 

There’s trouble in South Korea

The Middle East is in flames

Poland, France and Hungary

To our eternal shame

 

There’s panic all around the globe

As we count the final hours

There is no place beyond the reach

Of a madman’s quest for power

 

From Syria to Ecuador

From Columbia to Spain

The fear of falling victim

Like the victims in Ukraine

 

When we lose our sense of balance

Our bond of unity may fall

When the oligarchs take over

It will threaten one and all

 

The Day that Shook the World

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

The Day that Shook the World

 

We should have seen it coming

The writing was on the wall

The day that shook the world

May be the day that we fall

 

Europe stands on edge

Ukraine is on the line

NATO is forming contingencies

For a world that is realigned

 

Vladimir Putin wears a smile

That will last until tomorrow

The dictators are in ecstasy

The free world is in sorrow

 

A new age has begun

Filled with worry and despair

The autocrats are in power

And corporations do not care

 

About the warming of the planet

About protecting human rights

About the fall of a republic

We watch it vanish from our sight

 

Berlin Lament

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

Berlin Lament

 

The rise of the right in Germany

Makes us wonder where decency went

Their success in the recent elections

Has us singing the Berlin lament

 

It reminds us we can never rest

We must always be on guard

To face the latest fascist test

To stand up though it may be hard

To put forth our democratic best

While they play the racist card

 

We applaud our fellows in Germany

Who rise in democracy’s defense

We must never yield to their pressure

Lest we sing the Berlin lament

 

France is France Again

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

 

France is France Again

 

The voice of France has risen

France is France again

A unity of disparate parties

Has defeated Marine Le Pen

 

There’s a lesson in this for all of us

Who are facing a similar choice

The way to defeat the extremist right

Is to find a united voice

 

They vilify the “others”

They exploit the people’s fears

They claim to have the answers

As the end of days draws near

 

But there answer is a power grab

That elevates their own

They dismantle your republic

And build a fascist throne

 

All of France can celebrate

But we must stand on guard

It’s easy to lose democracy

Maintaining it is hard

 

Mass Deportations

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

Mass Deportation

 

Round em up and head em out

The dark-skinned ones

The undocumented

The ones without bankable skills

The ones without employment

The ones who lack insurance

The one who have no bank accounts

 

Round em up and head em out

By the hundreds and the thousands

On the streets and in the cities

In the alleys and the homeless camps

In the pubs and in the fields

Filling jobs that no one wants

At less than living wages

Under less than decent conditions

 

Round em up and head em out

When they’re no longer useful

When they’ve spent their last buck

When the boss can’t make the payroll

When they cost more than they’re worth

When politicians need a scapegoat

When there’s no one else to blame

 

It’s an old game

Use them and abuse them

Like cattle on the range

Until the crops have been gathered

And the harvest is all done

Round em up and head em out

Until next year … 

 

Hidden Dragon

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

Hidden Dragon

 

Beneath the surface of Russian brutality

There lurks a hidden dragon

Beneath the smart bombs and guided missiles

Beneath the serial war crimes

Beneath the killing of women and children

Beneath the mounting rubble of destruction

Beneath the endless, mindless horror

There lies a Chinese beast

 

At the crossroads of international affairs

The Chinese faced a choice

To follow the road of economic prosperity

In partnership with the West or

Form an alliance with the Brute of the North

To follow the path of democratic reform or

Join the barbarian path of conquest

 

They have chosen the path of darkness

The path of gross environmental destruction

The path of waste and extortion

The path of violence and imperialism

 

They will find in Russia a treacherous ally

An alliance of temporary value

The Russians offer little economically

They have weapons, oil and little else

The Chinese depend on the West

They will suffer for their betrayal

The hidden dragon no longer hidden

Will turn on itself in self immolation

The Chinese economy will crumble

The rule of Chi will end

 

New Bohemia

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

New Bohemia

 

Bohemia is not a place in Europe

Bohemia is a state of mind

A place where art and artists reign

Where no endeavor is more valued

Than the creation of a work of art

Where thoughts appear in song

Where dance is in the wind

Where each street is a poem

And every building a sculpture

 

Bohemia is a place in the heart

Where no one is afraid to speak

And everyone agrees: Freedom is

As necessary as food, air and water

Where the needs of all are tended to

Where the ambitions of politicians

Are set aside like yesterday’s news

 

Bohemia is a place of growing

Where a child is taught to follow dreams

Where every person has a purpose

Where no dream is too small

Where no vision is too large

Where the struggle burns within

The search for truth and meaning

The fulfillment of the soul

 

Bohemia is not a place in Europe

It is a state of mind

Where every individual is driven

To be creative and kind