Old Jim Crow

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN JUSTICE

Old Jim Crow

 

Old Jim Crow is alive and well

He resides in the highest court

Where Uncle Tom pounds a gavel

And civil rights earns stiff retort

 

They killed the Voting Rights Act

Discrimination does not exist!

But designer districting is a fact

You can’t vote if you’re on their list

 

Louisiana has one black congressman

Alabama has one as well

If you’re black and vote in Florida

They just might put you in jail

 

Maybe someday we’ll say goodbye

But that day has not arrived

When the Court is in your pocket

The rule of law is a lie

 

Civilization

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

Civilization (Ode to Rogue Nations)

 

There is a place for civilized nations

A place where decent folks reside

There is another place for deprivation

Where folks are morally deprived

 

We value truth and honesty

We do not steal or cheat

We stand up for integrity

We march to virtue’s beat

 

When nations lose their moral ground

They soon must face the fall

To tragedy their fate is bound

To hear the mortal sirens call

(a mournful piercing sound)

 

Those nations must be exiled

Like all enemies of state

Let their standing be defiled

Let isolation be their fate

 

Therefore I Won

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Therefore I Won (Ode to the Don)

 

I was winning; therefore I won

  You must wait until it’s done

  The song’s not over until it’s sung

But I was winning; therefore I won

 

Do not be a fool my friend

The race is run until the end

There is no trophy to be held

Until the enemy is felled

 

But I was winning; therefore I won

  A greater folly cannot be known

My wife, my daughter and my sons

  In time you will atone

They all agree I am the one

  The truth comes when you’re alone

Who never loses, always wins

  It is a long and sorry tome

Losing is a sin

 

I was winning; therefore I won 

Rain (The Nourisher)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Rain

 

The very substance of life

The giver and the nourisher

Creator of life’s abundance

The lightning and the thunder

We breathe you in and flourish

You clean our precious air

You wash away our worries

In waves of awe-filled wonder

 

Our ancestors worshipped you

And prayed for your return

They sacrificed their loved ones

With reverence they burned

 

We only pray for rain now

When you are gone too long

We plead forgiveness for our sins

And sing our rain dance songs

 

Random Chance

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

 

Random

 

The foundation of science is random chance

The junction of art and science is random

The miracles of religion are probabilities of chance

The discoveries of medicine are measured against chance

 

Our existence in the universe is random

The timing of the Big Bang

The rate of expansion and contraction

The combination of matter and energy

The formation of organic life

The emergence from the cosmic muck

The evolution of lifeforms

The invention of human consciousness

The development of hands

The march of industry

The advance of technology

The path of history

 

Chance

Random chance

 

Had Einstein not been born at a certain

Time and place

Had Hitler been a finer artist

Had countless occurrences been altered

By the slightest margin

Everything would be different

 

Chance

Random chance

 

Family (Thanksgiving)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Family

 

A time to face adversity

Our backs against the wall

We find solace in our family

A place that welcomes all

 

When life has dealt us tragedy

When we feel ourselves in need

We hear the cry of family

A calling we must heed

 

They answer when we need them

And we will do the same

There’s far more that connects us

Than just a family name

 

Our hearts go out to those in need

Who’ve lost their families

While the holidays are a time of joy

How difficult they can be

 

Be grateful for the ones you love

For the happiness that you share

The warmth we often take for granted

The ones for whom we care

 

(Happy Thanksgiving!)

 

Mississippi Vanishing (River Series)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: RIVERS SERIES

Mississippi Vanishing (River Series)

 

The great river of a mighty continent

The pounding heartbeat of America

Runs dry before our very eyes

Mississippi vanishing

 

Did we know it would happen like this?

Did we know it would happen so fast?

She was once the mother of rivers

So powerful strong and vast

 

Will we mourn her when she leaves us?

Will it tear our hearts apart?

It was here that Clemens flourished

The Mississippi blessed his start

 

The great river is now dying

Like the land it fuels and feeds

The warming of a planet

Neglect of its vital needs

 

Bitter Days of War

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

Bitter Days of War

 

The cold and bitter days of war

Rain down upon our friends

Their cause is well worth fighting for

On us they must depend

 

Our enemy has challenged us

Can we stay the course?

Through the brutal nights of winter

Through the darkest days of war

 

The missiles are still flying

With winter at the door

Do not forget their suffering

In the bitter days of war

 

They’ve fought so hard and long

Through misery and more

Give them all they want and need

In the bitter days of war

 

Going Down

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Going Down

 

Manchin and Sinema did their best

Holding back the best they could

With every reason from east to west

For not doing what they should

 

But when the election came around

The anti-democracy crowd went down

 

It’s not supposed to be this way

For the party of the working man

The candidates are supposed to say

This is where we make our stand

 

So when the election comes around

The anti-democracy crowd goes down

 

We won this time

We fought them back

We changed some minds

We’re back on track

But have no doubt they will return

The question is: what have we learned?

 

If they rise to fight again

Will democracy always win?

 

The Fall (and Rise) of Kherson

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

The Fall of Kherson

 

The blood of defenders

The roar of the guns

A battle of soldiers

The fall of Kherson

 

The invaders are losing

At every corner and turn

Their will to fight wanes

As the other side burns

 

The dictator calls forth

Another ten thousand

But they are not warriors

Nothing will rouse them

 

The fall of Kherson

Is only the latest

In a contest of wills

Ukraine’s is the greatest

 

So here’s to all leaders

Who start foreign wars

You can’t win a nation

With mercenary whores

 

Enemies of God

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL JUSTICE

Enemies of God

 

Those who proclaim their adversaries

The enemies of God

Are twisted in their righteousness

Their vision warped and odd

 

They kill dissidents in Tehran

They sentence protesters to death

If they could hear the word of God

It would still their very breath

 

For there is no greater crime

Than to kill in your God’s name

God is merciful and kind

Vengeful zealots will face shame

 

I do not know the word of God

I do not pretend to know

But if you use his name to kill

I believe his wrath will show

 

The Fall of Bolsonaro

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

The Silence of Bolsonaro

 

Hold your breath Brazil

The very silence of Bolsonaro

Threatens the heart of your democracy

 

Will the military rise up in arms?

Will his followers raise hell?

Will democracy be overthrown?

Will the president be jailed?

 

The future of the nation

Stands in a delicate balance

If a lawful election is overturned

Brazil becomes a rogue

A pirate of the western world

 

Rise up in support of Lula!

Rise up in support of democracy!

Rise up against the despot

And his conspirators in crime!

Let the dictator know this cannot be

Let the generals know where

The people stand

 

Brazilians have made their choice

The people have rejected the bully

The people have chosen a leader

They demand a voice

Go home and take your guns!

 

Viva Lula!

Viva Brazil!

Liberation

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

Liberation (Kherson)

 

We welcome you our soldiers

We have prayed for this day

At last we are liberated

Now we pray you will stay

 

We have lived in occupation

We have held our heads down

We kept faith that our nation

Would retake this sacred ground

 

The invaders were cold and cruel

They punished us for breathing

Living under a despot’s rule

Not knowing where it’s leading

 

You have come to lift our spirits

You have come to free our souls

When once we were the broken

You have made our spirits whole

 

The Ideal Candidate

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: DEMOCRACY

The Ideal Candidate

 

The ideal candidate for any public office

Believes whole-heartedly in democracy

Free, honest and fair elections

The unencumbered right to vote

Let every vote be counted

The majority decides

 

The ideal candidate knows the people

Feels what the people feel

Lives among the people

Represents the people’s interests

Talks with them and listens

Communicates her policies

Refuses corporate contributions

Answers for his actions

Takes full responsibility

 

The ideal candidate defends human rights

Against all abuses and encroachments

Without regard to race or religion

Gender or gender identity

Social class or economic status

 

The ideal candidate advocates peace

Supporting war only as a last resort

Only if the cause is righteous

For justice and national sovereignty

When all alternatives are exhausted

Without compromise on principle

 

The ideal candidate has her priorities

Consistent with history and the times

An age of global warming

An age of global crises

An age of critical decline

 

The ideal candidate may not exist

But the concept should

And voters should keep the ideal

Always in their minds

 

Political Prisoners (Alaa Abdel Fattah)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL JUSTICE

Political Prisoners (Egypt)

 

Alaa does not eat

Alaa does not drink

He is an activist for democracy

He is protesting his imprisonment

For speaking out against tyranny

Alaa is one of thousands

People jailed for their dissent

Victims of Abdel Fattah El-Sisi

 

Alaa’s family pleads with the west

To support their righteous cause

The cause of human rights

The cause of justice

The cause of democracy

El-Sisi’s Egypt is a totalitarian state

An enemy of enlightenment

 

The cause of human rights

Does not end in Ukraine

That which applies to Russia

Must also apply to others

 

The dissidents of Egypt do not want war

They do not ask for military aid

They ask only for words

They ask only for justice

They ask only for respect

 

Free Alaa Abdel Fattah!

Free Leonard Peltier!

Free Brittney Griner!

Free political prisoners everywhere!