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

 

 

The Democratic Facade

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

 

The Democratic Façade

 

In Tanzania they elected a president

Samia Suluhu Hassan

If a true republic is what they meant

Their chances are nearly gone

 

She tallied 98 percent of the vote

She believes that is a mandate

In fact that is a tally of note

That declared a miserable fate

 

For democracy requires an open field

In a free and fair election

A republic allows no such appeal

The fraud is beyond correction

 

Tanzania is now a phony façade

Another entry in the despots ring

When you’ve no choice but to applaud

The applause means less than nothing

 

We wonder why they even bother

To present themselves as free and fair

Like pretending a deity is your father

Why would you even dare?

 

 

Arms for Genocide

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GENOCIDE

 

Arms for Genocide

 

Supplying arms for genocide

In Gaza or Darfur

Is a crime the world cannot abide

Of that we should be sure

 

The United Arab Emirates

Believes they are immune

To the laws applied to all of us

We’ll find out very soon

 

They’re killing all the native sons

All those of darker skin

They’ll kill them all before they’re done

They’ll kill them all again

 

The Emirates supplied the weapons

To do their dirty deeds

A bold supply of swords and guns

To kill the Sudanese

 

The world must now decide

If the Emirates have the right

To fund and foment genocide

Beneath a glaring light

 

 

War with Venezuela

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LATIN AMERICA

 

War with Venezuela

 

We’re preparing for war with Venezuela

On the pretense of Narco Terror

Like the Russians invading Australia

The debt belongs to the bearer

 

What fool dreamed up this adventure?

Bush’s folly was not enough

Is this how the man derives pleasure?

By proving he’s bold and tough

 

Just as Putin did in Ukraine

The US will go it alone

An invasion that drags on in vain

An occupation in the American zone

 

Turn back before it’s too late

Like Bush you will stumble and lose

You wanted to show yourself great

Instead you will pay your dues

 

Like Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan

You’ll go down in a flurry of flames

Just another imperialist plan

That forever degrades our name

 

Let’s pretend you’re still a peacemaker

Let’s pretend you don’t want war

You’re a giver not a taker

You can find the other shore

 

Connolly Wins in Ireland!

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

 

Connolly Wins!

 

The Irish have elected a president

In a landslide of the electorate

She gives her promise to represent

Even those who did not expect it

 

The barrister once of Galway

Has risen through the ranks

Long and hard she worked for this day

And to all she gives her thanks

 

She believes in a social civility

To guide her stay in power

A broad principle of inclusivity

Bringing down the ivory tower

 

All the Irish may not agree

But she is sworn to hear the call

Of the poor over merchants of greed

To serve the many if not the all

 

May Ireland rise to the stars

In the kindness for which she’s esteemed

May we embrace you for who you are

A fulfillment of the Irish dream

 

* Catherine Connolly, Independent

 

 

Rio in Red

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: BRAZIL

 

Rio in Red

 

A Brazilian flag is stained in red

After Rio’s deadly raid

Hundreds of bodies lying dead

All hope begins to fade

 

The favelas are in mourning

So many people dead

It came without a warning

Leaving only fear and dread

 

Who ordered this abomination?

This massacre of men

Was it meant to cause sensation?

Are they prepared to do it again?

 

Castro ordered the slaughter

The governor of the state

The people were cannon fodder

They met a gruesome fate

 

He accused them of narco terror

An accusation that covers all

No trials. What could be fairer?

Line em up against the wall

 

Is this the way of the world now?

Justice belongs to the strong

We do not ask why or how

We know in our hearts it’s wrong

 

 

The Illusionist

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUMP DAZE

 

The Illusionist

 

He creates a stunning façade

All that glitters is not gold

He perceives himself a god

His magic sparkling and bold

 

He vanquished part of the White House

Gone in rubble and dust

He will stage a spectacular roust

Shazam! There goes all trust!

 

But the Gaza destruction goes on

The wars he stopped were never there

Putin still strings him along

And the markets are chasing the bear

 

He instigates violence in the cities

He creates an illusion of order

The illusion is quick and pretty

He should use it on the southern border

 

He pretends that everything’s grand

He celebrates before it’s done

Have a party, strike up the band

Once again the king has won

 

But all he’s done is not real

He just spins his webs of illusion

A toss of the great spinning wheel

When he’s done there’s mass confusion

 

The War Must End

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WAR

 

The War Must End

 

The people of Gaza are tired of war

The Israeli people must bend

Let the waves of hatred be no more

It is time for the war to end

 

The Russian people have had their fill

Too long the Ukrainians defend

Their leaders must swallow a bitter pill

It is time for the war to end

 

Yet Putin will never give up the fight

As long as his pride depends

As long as the people believe he’s right

This war will never end

 

The Israelis will bomb to the end of days

As long as there’s money to spend

Their destructive might is on display

And the war will never end

 

When the Russian people are ready for peace

This message they will send

Putin’s vengeance must finally cease

It’s time for the war to end

 

When the Israeli people are ready for peace

This message they will send

Netanyahu’s war must finally cease

It is time for the war to end

 

As long as vengeance rules the day

The wounds of war will not mend

Subversion will always find a way

And the wars will never end

 

The Venezuelan Tragedy

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LATIN AMERICA

 

The Venezuelan Tragedy

 

It is a sad and dreary history

The CIA backed operations

The torture and the travesties

The Bolivarian Revolution

Alleviation of mass poverty

The backlash of institutions

A betrayal of democracy

A reversal of solutions

Corruption and collusion

 

Hugo Chavez had it right

When he embraced social democracy

He kept the workers in his sight

Til he was tempted by autocracy

When Maduro took the reigns

He enacted one-man rule

It became an old refrain

Oppression cold and cruel

 

Had Chavez lived who knows?

His cause might have remained true

But now the discontent grows

When they win the people lose

The democratic movement slows

Their elections are a ruse

The Americans are landing blows

The Venezuelans are abused

 

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 in Peru

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LATIN AMERICA

 

Peruvian Democracy

 

Crime is the enemy of a civil society

When crime rises, trust declines

Bringing discontent and social anxiety

Democratic values fall behind

 

In Peru they send their leaders to jail

For failure to stop the criminal waves

That’s what happens when society fails

Corruption pulls them to an early grave

 

Now that Boluarte is out and Jeri is in

The demand for change will be growing

The countdown to elections will begin

They hope the crime rate will be slowing

 

Democracy can’t be a revolving wheel

That does not address the people’s needs

When government abuses power to steal

It is replaced with lightning speed

 

The enduring lesson of Peru’s democracy

Is that stability must take hold

To prevent the danger of autocracy

The people must be strong and bold

 

 

The Argentinian Compromise

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LATIN AMERICA

 

Argentinian Compromise

 

Between a steamroller and a boulder

The Argentinians are in crisis

The prospects are growing colder

With their inflationary prices

 

On one side looms the dragon

The full forces of oppression

Put your pesos in their wagon

You will be headed for depression

 

On the other is the autocrat

The unvarnished force of greed

If this is where your country’s at

Argentina is bound to bleed

 

The land with a tortured history

Is a land in desperate need

With a leader who is lost

And who will pay most any cost

 

To maintain his hold on power

Despite the welfare of the nation

As we approach the final hour

That will define their destination

 

 

The Enemy Within

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Enemy Within

 

He’s told you where he stands

He paints it red white and blue

Our democracy be damned

What he says is what you do

If your light is getting dim

If you voice your point of view

If you disapprove of him

If you claim it isn’t true

You are the enemy within

 

Take it for what it’s worth

He expects you to comply

Or he will mark you with a curse

He doesn’t need to tell you why

He’s anointed by his birth

All his enemies should die

All his friends must always win

If you dare to call his lies

You are the enemy within

 

He puts our cities under siege

He demands our loyalty

He uses soldiers as police

Brutal ways and violent means

The right to protest is decreed

Null and void by his liege

The light of liberty grows dim

Unless you wear it on your sleeve

You are the enemy within