Freedom

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Freedom

 

There are two kinds of freedom

Freedom from and freedom to

Freedom from oppression and restraint

Freedom to say, think and do

What you would do if you were free

Freedom is not the same to you

As freedom is to me

 

Some people do not need freedom

Others should not possess it

 

No one should have the freedom

To impose their wills on others

Every woman should have the freedom

To be a loving mother

No one should possess the freedoms

To torture, rob and kill

Everyone should be free

To sit peacefully and still

 

One person’s freedom is another’s curse

It often depends on who gets there first

 

Sunset in America

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Sunset in America

 

Pledge loyalty to the tyrant

Bow down before the king

Farewell to our republic

What horrors he will bring

 

We had a choice to take him down

He gave a dozen warnings

Can you hear the trumpet sound?

Our great nation is in mourning

 

It is sunset in America

The light has gone away

Lady Liberty is dead and gone

We bow our heads and pray

 

Will we ever have a chance

To undo what we have done?

If the tyrant has his way

We will live under the gun

 

Will you bow down to the king?

Will you sing his endless praise?

When he demands your loyalty

Will you bow or will you raise?

 

Resistance

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: DEMOCRACY

Resistance

 

When the Nazis took over France

Some yielded, some fought back in vain

Others would form a resistance

That colored the Nazis in shame

 

When our time comes to resist

They will never know our names

We’ll be hiding in the shadows

We’ll be causing the enemy pain

 

It will be our solemn duty

To resist at every turn

When they try to put out the fire

We’ll say, Burn baby, burn!

 

Let us hope that day never comes

But if it does let’s be prepared

Let it not be said of our generation

That when it came nobody cared

 

Do not pretend it cannot happen

It can if we turn our backs

If the people rise and awaken

This train can get back on track

 

Sacrificing Ukraine

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

Sacrificing Ukraine

 

Have we lost our sense of honor?

It is an old refrain

America soon forgets her word

Will we sacrifice Ukraine?

 

Have we lost hold of our foundation?

Our fundamental core

The world’s defender of democracy

Is it worth fighting for?

 

Have we become what we opposed?

The silence of the night

What was dull now is golden

We’re no longer in the fight

 

We gave our solemn word

We made it clear and plain

We will stand with our allies

We will not sacrifice Ukraine

 

What becomes of world democracy

Do we buckle under strain?

What more will we sacrifice

If we sacrifice Ukraine?

 

Destroyer of Democracy

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Destroyer of Democracy *

 

Destroyer of democracy thy name is Trump

Like a junkyard dog that lives in a dump

You bark at everyone you see

You tell yourself they’re just like me

 

You look in the mirror and call out Scum!

You see yourself in every bum

You saw the news and said It’s true!

But that’s not something I would do

It must be someone else instead

Let’s turn the whole thing on its head

 

I am the King of all I see!

And that includes democracy!

I’m not the man they say I am

And if I am who gives a damn!

 

* Trump calls out Biden

 

The Hooligan Riot (Dublin)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

The Hooligan Riot

 

They came together in Dublin

The hooligan fringe of the right

O’Grady, O’Reilly and Finnegan

They were bursting to start a fight

 

So they used the attack of a madman

To run up the flag of hate

They fueled a riot with mayhem

The facts came out far too late

 

They burned what they could not bash

They bashed what they could not burn

As the flames turned slowly to ash

There were lessons for Dublin to learn

 

You are not immune to the madness

That is driving all of Europe insane

With a hatred that all should detest

And a willingness to inflict pain

 

It is time to strengthen the walls

That protect institutions of state

For a democracy may well fall

If our fears become too great

 

War Crimes in Africa

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WAR CRIMES

War Crimes in Africa

 

Burkina Faso is under a curse

Islamic warriors press their cause

They murder, burn and worse

Without regard for humane laws

 

Two million people are displaced

Thousands have been killed

A smile of glory on their face

An interpretation of god’s will

 

Their god must be a god of rage

A god without compassion

A god at home in another age

When cruelty was in fashion

 

There is no place for holy wars

In a world of modern nations

Reserve jihad for ancient lore

And pray for your salvation

 

Tears for Henry

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

Tears for Henry

 

The man who toppled Salvador Allende

The man who championed dictatorship

The man who won a Nobel Peace Prize

For carpet bombing Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam

The man who never saw a strongman he didn’t love

The man who held Nixon’s hand through

The sorry days of Watergate

The man who said we should never let an election

Stand in the way of our interests

The man who was in love with power

The man who tried to forge an empire

 

He died today at the round age of one hundred

One wonders if he negotiated a deal with the reaper

How many lives for one old man?

Shall we shed a tear for Henry?

How many tears did he shed for Chile?

How many for Argentina?

How many tears for Southeast Asia?

How many for the innocents lost?

 

I am sorry for his family

I’m sorry for those who loved him

I’m sorry for those who fell to his diplomatic sword

But I have no tears for Henry

He was and always will be a war criminal

A man without a heart

Arrogance (Netanyahu)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ISRAEL AT WAR

Arrogance

 

Netanyahu knew beforehand

He knew the plan and the intent

He knew the date of the attack

He possessed the intelligence

Yet he turned away in arrogance

 

Netanyahu must resign

 

Hamas would not dare

Hamas does not possess the capability

Hamas does not do intelligent planning

Hamas is not a threat

 

Not only did he ignore the report

He didn’t bother to take precautions

He failed to monitor activities

He failed to put his forces on alert

He failed to place soldiers on the border

He failed to warn his people

He knew but he did not act

The soldiers were late to the scene

 

Netanyahu must resign

 

It is as if he wanted a war

It is as if he did not care

Like Hamas he wanted war

There were people on the streets

The opposition was growing

It is as if he wanted war to save

his failing government

 

Netanyahu must resign

A World at War

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

A World at War

 

We are nose down heading to a world at war

Is there no one who remembers?

No one who knows the horrors in store

No one to ask: Is it worth fighting for?

 

We all understand who is first to blame

The monsters of war have little shame

They toss the bombs and point away

Hamas and Putin are their names

 

If we do not find a path to peace

(Palestine needs a sovereign state)

There will be nowhere left to meet

(Stop Putin before it’s too late)

 

There is no place in the world for war

Our weapons assure our destruction

Stop this madness at the door

Disarm before the next eruption

 

A union of nations must rise in force

Our weapons must be held at bay

This must happen as a matter of course

If not we count our lives in days

 

The planet faces far greater threats

Without that of annihilation

The earth will hold us to our debts

Far better to claim salvation

 

Room 101 (Orwell's 1984)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Room 101*

 

They know your worst fears

They can see it in your eyes

They are knowers and deep seers

They can smell all your lies

 

Every thought you’ve ever thought

Every dream you’ve ever dreamed

Every treasure you have sought

Every pleasure you have gleaned

 

They will take you in their arms

They will promise you the stars

They’ll protect you from all harm

They will tell you who you are

 

But you must promise in return

To blindly follow without doubt

Clear your mind until you learn

You’ll never know what it’s about

 

Your soul belongs to Big Brother

To this purpose you were born

Just like all and every other

To the state you will be sworn

 

* George Orwell 1984

 

Hostages

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ISRAEL AT WAR

Hostages

 

Held against their will

Captured by a rabid mob

Down the spine a chill

Innocence is robbed

 

Let my people go!

Israelis cry in vain

Palestine cries back

Feel my people’s pain!

 

Alas they call a truce

Released a chosen few

They gave them what they asked

What else could they do?

 

Palestine and Israel

Are locked in this embrace

A dance of death and destiny

A never-ending chase

 

For peace can never come

To a people locked in hate

As long as we’re indifferent

To either people’s fate

 

Free all political prisoners!

Palestinians and Jews

Free every single one of them

Extend the military truce

 

Argentina

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

Argentina

 

Hard times lead to hopelessness

Hopelessness to despair

Desperation spreads everywhere

For better or for worse

 

In Argentina they have thrown the dice

Their government came and went

High inflation and unemployment

Invites a fatal curse

 

We can only hope for men and mice

It turns out for the best

Will democracy survive the test?

Or will it bring another verse?

 

Argentinians do not cry

There will be better times

You suffer though we know not why

Democracy is in reverse

 

It is happening across the globe

We are losing but we will win

Every time we trip and fall

We will rise up once again