Friday, May 22, 2020

The Test

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Test

How long can we last before the walls
Begin to fold in on us?

How long before our minds wobble
Shake and take flight?

Some can endure this endless state
Of nothing but the same
This existential perpetuity
This flight of the flightless dodo
This song of endless woe

Round and round she goes
Like water down the drain
Like weeks of endless rain
Like enticing the insane
Just to feel alive

We are puppets in a wooden chest
Long forgotten put to rest
Nothing beating in our breasts
Trying hard to do our best
And falling like an empty nest
Failing the final test

How long can we last?

Thursday, May 21, 2020

The Fall of Privacy

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Fall of Privacy

The pandemic experts agree
For the good of all
(and the wealth of some)
They must follow every movement
All the time everywhere
Your walk to the drugstore
Your time at the fair
The people you encounter
Who breathe the same air

It all makes sense
In a fight for our lives
But our freedoms once taken
May never revive

In a battle for survival
Privacy is the first casualty




Wednesday, May 20, 2020

The Second Wave

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Second Wave

When history is written it will record
We grew too confident
We dropped our guard

We had the virus on the run
Kept our distance stayed at home
Till the sun came shining
And the days looked bright
And we celebrated the close
Of a long goodnight

So when it comes back
To reap sweet revenge
What will we do then? 
Fight back or give in?

We’ll fight of course
And we’ll fight again
That’s who we are
And always have been
We’ll fight and fight and fight
Till at last we win



Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Contact Tracing

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Contact Tracing

He was a hands on kind of guy
He liked to look you in the eye
Grab you by your shoulder
Take and shake your hand
Always wore a smile
Had a lot of things to say

Too old to change his ways
When the great shadow came
And it seemed like it might stay

He shook hands with his neighbor
Who took it home to his kid
Who spent an hour in the park
Where he played with his friend
Who took it home to his father
Where his Uncle Mac gave him a hug
And passed it to his mother
Who forgot about the virus
When she walked down to the store
Where the clerk had a word
And passed it to her friend
Who helped your grandson patch a tire
Who passed it on to you

How could such a thing happen
When we’ve taken all precautions?

We are only as strong
As our weakest bond


Monday, May 18, 2020

The Highest Price

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Highest Price

Hurricanes twisters pandemics depression
An infestation of rats and mice
It’s a hard hard truth and it’s cold as ice
The poor folks pay the highest price

From the Bronx to Philadelphia
Baton Rouge to Atlanta West
Atlantic City to Detroit
Old Seattle to Miami vice
No matter how you toss the dice
The poor folks pay the highest price

From the race riots in ‘65
The great Chicago fire
Falling bridges collapsing towers
So much tragedy so much loss
The poor folks pay the highest cost

The color of wealth is white and yellow
The color of want is black and brown
When hard times hit and knock us down
They hit hardest on the poor side of town

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Dying for Democracy (Wisconsin)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Dying for Democracy (Wisconsin)

Determined people stand in line
Six feet apart hours on hours
Wearing masks and gloves
In rain and wind and cold
To cast their votes and
Speak their rightful minds

What price democracy? 

The highest law in the land
The justices supreme decree
Anyone who votes this day
Must gamble with their lives

What do you say?
Do you want to die today?
How much does it mean to you?

One last vote for a dying democracy
One last stand before the end
One last salute to duty
Honor and the American way


Saturday, May 16, 2020

South Dakota

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


South Dakota

Centuries ago invading armies threatened
Their existence with poisoned blankets
Smallpox infested gifts of the civilized tribe

The Lakota survived

In the great westward expansion
Blue coats fought native warriors
Outgunned and outnumbered
To a standstill dividing the tribes
Forced them to live on reservations
Sent them to Indian schools where
They cut out your tongues
And buried them in history books

The Lakota survived

They massacred the buffalo
To the edge of extinction
Destroyed the Lakota way of life
In every way they could

The Lakota survived

Now the white man’s government
Threatens the tribes once again
With their determined ignorance
Discarding science and medicine
Condemning all to suffer the ravages
Of a deadly pandemic

The Lakota will survive

But at what cost?

How many lives will be lost
To the white man’s folly?

Friday, May 15, 2020

Bury the Dead

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Bury the Dead

Mass graves in Central Park
Cremated remains in Lake Pontchartrain
A tribute to the heroes the survivors
And the families of the dead

The dead themselves no longer care
Pray they have passed to a better place
Though in truth we know not where

How many died in vain?
How many deaths ordained?
We must all wonder though
Few will voice the words

We let it rest
Leave it for another day
We cry we mourn we pray
But we will not ask
How many died in vain
Until the dead are put away
Until the day after we ask
Where do we bury the dead?

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Silence

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Silence

Broadway at midnight in the midst
Of the great pandemic
New Orleans’ French Quarter to Jackson Square
Columbus Avenue in San Francisco
Grant Park Chicago on a Sunday afternoon

There is a silence that bears the weight
Of a planet’s worried souls

There is a sorrow deeper than the depths
Of the human heart

From stadiums in the great cities
To small town bars and restaurants
A silence descends like a curtain on
The darkest night

None dare speak its name
None dare summon its power
Take cover and hide
Quiet do not breathe

We know its name
But we will not speak it aloud
Not now
Not ever


Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Great Cleansing

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Great Cleansing

The heavens opened up her gates
And down poured the rains of Eden
To wash away all our depravities
And clean our very souls

A hundred million voices sang as one
Forgive us our misdeeds and let us live again
For we have learned our lessons and
We have paid a price in sorrow far
Greater than the seven salted seas

And the rains came down and thunder
Cracked the eternal sky
Until alas there were no more tears to cry
And every mother’s son and daughter
Knew we would survive
To breathe in joy and sorrow one more time

And everyone alive swore
On all that is sacred and pure
This time we will do it right
This time we will care for the poor
This time we will lift humanity over wealth
This time we will embrace our role
As caretakers of the earth

This time we swear

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

One

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


One

One world one planet one path
To survive the great pandemic
And resume the human race

We’ve lived through a Great Depression
Pestilence famine plague recessions
We’ll live through this and more
And rise in a state of grace

The lesson of this tragic tale
Is simple as true things are
We are not alone on this journey
We are one of infinite stars

The Lakota in their wisdom say
We are all of us related
We share the same ancestry
And to the same end we’re fated

The motto of this nation is
From the many we are one
If we fail to heed this message
As a species we are done

Monday, May 11, 2020

The Missing Moments

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Missing Moments

Life is a series of moments
Moments we embrace and treasure
Moments that give us pleasure
Like a precious stone to a jeweler
An image to a photographer
A revelation to the faithful

We gather our moments together
Store them in the attics of our brains
Sort them out and gaze at them
When times get rough or
We get sentimental

We like to think our moments
Belong to us like photos in a box
That can never be taken away

But time and circumstance
Like thieves in the night
Can strip them from us
Bury them or twist them till
We no longer recognize

Time and circumstance are stealing
Moments now that never happened
Welcoming a newborn babe
Into a bright and loving world
Catching a foul ball with a bare hand
Sharing a sunset in the sunset of our lives
Finding comfort in a crowd of friends
Witnessing nature in her naked glory
Basking in the warmth of family
Communing with precious friends

All the moments that might have been
Vanish with the poisoned wind
May we all create new moments
But we cannot have them back again



Sunday, May 10, 2020

Normalizing the Abnormal

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  CORONAVIRUS SERIES



Normalizing the Abnormal

Total transformation
In the flicker of flight
A dance in the darkness
With the shadows of doom
Flames jumping in glimmering light
Horrors receding on a fiendish night

A new way of living our daily lives
No bars no pubs no congregations
We exist now in isolation
A nation of loners is not a nation
We live in perpetual segregation

We walk our chosen paths alone
Observe from a distance
Converse on the phone
Interact on social media
Forever at home

We cease to be what we’ve always been
This new normal is foreign and strange
Without impulse or freedom of being
Like a marriage that’s been arranged

Saturday, May 09, 2020

Six Feet Under

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  CORONAVIRUS SERIES



Six Feet Under

By order of the government
We live in a world where
Handshakes are forbidden
Where breath can kill
Where standing too close
Could be your last act
Of defiance

No hugs no kisses
No bump of the fist
No slap on the back
No whispers in the ear

No one wants to follow the rules
But defiance now is a game of fools

Don’t get too close
Don’t huddle together
No sharing space
No matter the weather

Do not falter and do not wonder
Six feet apart or six feet under

Friday, May 08, 2020

Destination Destiny

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



Destination Destiny

During the nation’s bicentennial
I lived on Manhattan Island
Busted my ass to make it there
Had my moment on the stage
Saw my name in the Village Voice
If not on the marquee lights

I wanted to make New York my home
My base of operations
A place to lay my head and toil
The center of the creative universe
The cradle of art and imagination

I remember landing in Grand Central Station
Alone with my thoughts my destination
A script in my bag dreams in my head
I wanted to belong be found be read

In the end the great metropolis refused
To share my welcome
Tossed me out like an old pair of boots
To live with the masses was not my destiny
Or was it random chance

I always wondered what might have been
What could have would have happened
Would I have thrived?
Would I be dead?
More than ever I wonder now
Where my first love might have led

Thursday, May 07, 2020

The Cleansing

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



The Cleansing

Toxins spread across the land
Poison seeping from poisoned minds
Wretched souls and misery
Suffering the terror of need
By the hands of greed

And the waters come down
Like a rumbling train
From a broken sky springs
A cleansing rain

A thundering storm like the gods of war
Batten down the hatches
Bar the doors

Put our hands together and pray

Wash away the tears
Wash away the rage
Wash away the horror
Wash away the waste

Let us be whole again
Give us good health
Let us have joy again
Let us feel well

When the whole world is in such sorrow
Let it rain today until tomorrow

Wednesday, May 06, 2020

The Chase

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



The Chase

No more dawdling
No more spinning the top
No more jogging around the bend
This is where it stops
This is where the bullshit ends

You’ve been yanking my chain too long
Even when you’re right you’re wrong
People are sick and tired and dying
While you’re still singing the same old song

Now you want a war with Iran
Now you want a new war on drugs
Go home to your beloved Mar a Lago
Go bury your head in the Florida sand
Play a round of golf and make your stand
Spend time tweeting on your mobile phone
Just go your way and leave us all alone

Tuesday, May 05, 2020

Coronavirus Miracles

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



Coronavirus Miracles

A decline in violent crimes
A spirit of giving spreads
People rally to desperate needs
Masks from upholstery
Hospitals in city centers
Hotels for the homeless
Debt forgiveness
Prepared meals
Tent cities

A million acts of generosity
For every brutal tragic death
Ordinary people understand
We’re all in this together
So why not lend a hand

The miracles of kindness
born of deadly despair
Give testament to all
who came before us
all who come after
and all who care

Humanity will endure
Humanity will survive
Humanity will prevail
In these dark and trying times

Monday, May 04, 2020

Fools Parade

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



Fools Parade

A congregation in Louisiana
Praise the lord and pass the pestilence
Pandemic parties in Miami
Dancing to the edge of time
A Christian university in Georgia
Class in session stand in line

The fools parade is never canceled
The celebration must go on
Drink and dance the night away
Party to the break of dawn

Bars and taverns business booming
What could possibly go wrong?
They’ll have a thousand poor excuses
When the hammer comes down strong

Sunday, May 03, 2020

Incompetence Kills

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



Incompetence Kills

People were fed up I understand
Throw out the old try a new brand
They’re all the same the old folks said
Now the old folks are sick in bed

You delivered a message loud and clear
They played to your hopes
He played to your fear

Now what do you think
When you’re calm and still?
You could not have known
Incompetence kills

We slipped by for three long years
The market soared
The end drew near

When the pandemic came
We wrote our wills
We should have known
Incompetence kills

He saw it coming and turned away
He said don’t worry we’ll be okay
We won’t all survive but most of us will
How were we to know?
Incompetence kills

He fought for the rich
Spat on the poor
On the bright side
He never started a war

Just a miserable leader
Grist for the mill
But we never suspected
Incompetence kills

Saturday, May 02, 2020

Social Order

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



Social Order

Entropy by default

A thing in motion must stay in motion
Or disintegrate like scattered light
In a crystal prism

The question must be asked
How long can the social order last
Before entropy takes hold

A system fastened together
With chicken wire and good intentions
Cannot withstand a constant pounding
Of unforgiving pressure
Without beginning to bend
And bending till it snaps

The social order is a brittle bond
An agreement among civil society
Built on hope and ideology
Philanthropy and intellect
A free press and common assumptions
Concerning the nature of civilized
Existence

The social order is under attack
The assault did not begin
With the great pandemic
It began with an assault on reason
An attack on science
An undermining of truth
A demeaning of facts

But the great pandemic has
Magnified everything exponentially
Leaving the structure of government
The institutions of democracy
The foundations of society
In tatters

The question must be asked
How long can the social order last
Before we snap

Friday, May 01, 2020

The Oath

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



The Oath

Ordinary people step forward
In extraordinary times
Volunteers in a time of need
Risking their own lives and families
To answer others’ desperate pleas

Some find it hard to stay home
To sacrifice their social lives
To forego their human contacts
Till a return to sanity arrives

Strike a vivid contrast
To retired nurses and doctors
Emergency medical technicians
Police firefighters pharmacists
Clerks cooks food providers

Volunteers in a time of need
Leaving their homes every morning
Laying it all on the line

They took an oath
They could take a pass
None would blame them
None would shame them

They took an oath
And they will honor it

Courage is as courage does
In the dark days of fear

Thursday, April 30, 2020

The Crowd

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  CORONAVIRUS SERIES



The Crowd

Jammed together five hundred strong
A humming energy loud and long
Sustain the force pass it around
Raise the rafters with the power of sound

Let it roar like a tractor pull
At the county fair
Like a dozen screaming Strat's
On a volume dare

There’s nothing like the roar of a crowd
Springs from the heart true and loud

Will we ever see that again?
We will never see that again

Gone with the dust gone like trust
Vanished forever like a deal gone bust

Will we ever hear that roar again?
We will never hear that roar again

Will we ever feel that force again?
We will never feel that force again

The crowd has gone home
Dried up like yesterday’s rain
The party’s over
A change has taken hold
Crazy has gone insane

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Conspiracy Line

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Conspiracy Line


The Chinese invented it to keep their people in line
The Russians set it loose to unravel mankind
The elite know the cure but they won’t put it on the vine
It’s time to check in to the conspiracy line

Though we know where it started we don’t know where it ends
We’re taking care of our families and some of our friends
I hear Putin is laughing and Elvis is fine
And business is booming on the conspiracy line

It shot across the borders and swept around the earth
Now doctors pass judgement on what life is worth
The whole world is reeling and some are going blind
While they’re having a party on the conspiracy line

At first it took the old folks now it’s taking the young
Like a song that keeps singing that’s already been sung
Everybody is dying except me and mine
But the sun keeps shining on the conspiracy line

We are walking on thin ice in the survival mode
Retreating to our bunkers to protect our abode
The death toll keeps rising like an Everest climb
While everything thrives on the conspiracy line

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

When It's Over

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



When It’s Over

When this is over we’ll get together
tip a few and toss our thoughts up
to see what comes back down

When this is over we’ll set a date
and place our hearts on the kitchen table
Speak our minds on every topic under
the sun beyond the sea within
the ever expanding universe

We’ll share our dreams our inner thoughts
We’ll speak aloud our true emotions
Lovers lost and tossed devotions
We’ll laugh until we cry and then
We’ll laugh some more
We’ll laugh again

We’ll remember every moment
that ever passed between us
like a fat joint from days gone by

We’ll laugh until we cry

I’ll stumble at the door
You’ll tell me be careful
I’ll ask you
What for?

(for Carlos)