The Shadow of Istanbul

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

 

The Shadow of Istanbul

 

What happens in Turkey does not stay in Turkey

 

Its shadow of darkness spreads

like a chilling wave over the land

and across the sea injecting poison

into the body politick even in the

land of the free

 

What happens in Istanbul does not stay in Istanbul

 

It foreshadows the nightmares to come

as the gathering force of protest and

resistance builds in towns and cities

across the nation

 

How long will the president endure the

indignity of dissent?

 

He has imposed the Alien Enemies Act*

to deport residents to foreign prisons

 

How long before he declares martial law

to nullify the right to assemble in protest?

 

He has ordered mass deportation without

regard to due process of law

 

How long before he orders the mass

detention of law-abiding protestors?

 

They are holding show trials in Istanbul

to see how far they can go

 

Are there enough prisons to imprison dissent?

 

There are if we count El Salvador

 

What happens in Turkey does not stay in Turkey

 

By tomorrow it will be here

 

* Alien Enemies Act of 1798

Fight Back

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: RESISTANCE

 

Fight Back

 

Never give up the fight

When the fight is in the making

Keep your enemy in sight

Take what’s for the taking

 

They will try to break your spirit

They’ll push you til you bend

They think you’ll come to fear it

They hope you won’t defend

 

Show them what you stand for

You’re the ones who will not quit

Keep knocking on that grand door

Until the victory light is lit

 

You may not always win

But you will always stand up proud

When you give the wheel a spin

Say it clear and say it loud:

 

We’ll fight against all odds

We’ll fight for all it’s worth

We’ll fight against the gods

And the beasts who rule the earth

 

Streets of Protest

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Streets of Protest

 

The streets of protest are alive

We march to show we care

For democracy we strive

Our cause is everywhere

 

On the streets of Palestine

For those who disagree

Who refuse to toe the line

Who will not bend the knee

 

For the people of Ukraine

Whose freedom is at stake

For those who are restrained

For the laws they did not break

 

For those who lost their jobs

And those who are in need

For the large, angry mobs

Who are tired of greed

 

For the ones who live in fear

Of the troubled times ahead

For the moms who shed a tear

At the cost of gas and bread

 

We’re on the streets again

For those who have no voice

This time we will win

We demand a better choice

The Silence

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: PROTEST

 

The Silence

 

They have silenced the voice of America

The voice of freedom and human rights

They have silenced the voice of Americans

As if we’ve given up the fight

 

The fight for progress and democracy

Against oppression and autocracy

The right to decency and civility

Without regard to one’s ability

 

They have silence dissenting voices

With a threat of retribution

They would eliminate our choices

Intimidation is their solution

 

They have silenced former presidents

The free media and the press

Mass oppression is in residence

The right to march the streets in protest

 

We will not give up the fight

We will retain our defiance

We’ll demand our civil rights

We will never yield to silence