Fourth Wind

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

Fourth Wind

 

When the first wind blows

The heavens whisper blessings

A lullaby of peaceful dreams

 

When the second wind blows

Our senses set alert

Dust stirs and leaves scatter

We watch the evening sun

 

When the third wind blows

All creatures are alarmed                                              

Dogs howl and birds take flight

Dark clouds invade the sky

Tall trees bend and fences fold

 

When the fourth wind blows

Terror rips through a darkened sky

Trees fall and mountains tremble

We hide ourselves in shelters

Huddle with our loved ones

Pray the storm will pass us by

 

We are at the mercy of nature

The four winds and hard rains

Years of drought and melting glaciers

Typhoons tsunamis hurricanes

She commands our respect

As we beg for her forgiveness

 

Football Riots in Belgium

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Football Riots in Belgium

 

In a world on the edge of destruction

A never-ending series of tragedy

 

With millions of people dead

From a virus we could not control

 

With democracy on the balance

in nations once thought secure

 

With economies at the breaking point

With homelessness on the rise

and the plight of the working poor

 

In a world of global warming

bringing storms like never before

 

In a world brutal aggression

upending the world of order

bringing threats of nuclear war

 

The Belgians throw a riot

over a football score

 

(Morocco defeats Belgium 2-0)

 

Artemis

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Artemis

 

The journey to eternity begins with Artemis

A momentary stop on the dark side of the moon

A space station, a launching post

A short jump to the red planet

As the century unfolds

Another station on the moons of Saturn

Artemis II, Artemis III and IV

The universe expands as we ride the waves

to the edge of the galaxy

From there the stars reveal the secrets

that open the doors of infinite space

A window to beyond

Survival of the race

It all begins with Artemis

 

One-Man Rule (China)

   RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL DEMOCRACY

 

One-Man Rule

 

The unstoppable force of the people

Erupts in protest and rage

The people gathered in the streets

Have reached the riot stage

 

An end to the Covid tyranny

An end to the ruthless and cruel

The people always had the power

To end this one-man rule

 

The power of Chi is infinite

The power of Xi is not

When you carelessly abuse your power

There are lessons to be wrought

 

To the people you must yield

There can be no other way

You must honor the will of the people

If in power you would stay

 

Truth

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Truth

 

I am a man of a mighty nation

I am a man of the world

I do not pretend to have the answers

I have no faith in those who do

 

The truth does not belong to me

It does not belong at all

It exists apart from the world of man

It is neither old nor new

 

The truth cannot be lost or found

Though it can easily be obscured

You might chasten it for a century

But what’s true is always true

 

There are those who claim to worship it

But truth will not be worshipped

Truth is as truth has always been

Without regard for me or you

 

London Strike

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: POEMICS

Strike (London)

 

Years of austerity economics

The trickle down that never did

Brexit from the continent

An economy on the skids

 

The ruling class complains

A strike only makes it worse

But it had to happen sometime

It’s the working class curse

 

When times are hard in Britain

They’re harder on the poor

The safety net is all but gone

There are beggars at your door

 

If you want to save the system

Listen to their needs

A living wage for everyone

An end to corporate greed

 

Grooming Killers

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: POEMICS

 

Grooming Killers

 

Guns don’t kill, killers do

But killers with guns kill better

A single-shot gun or rifle

Kills better than a knife

But there’s nothing like an M-16

To take a lot of lives

 

If we’re worried about the children

Growing up in an age of death

We should take a few precautions

Before the child’s first breath

Control the entertainment games

That give a thousand thrills

Rewarding simulated violence

Engaging with the kill

 

Let’s teach kids how to live in peace

To know and love and understand

The many people in this world

Who need a helping hand

 

Teach kids not to hate

Teach them how to get along

Teach them how our many voices

Will contribute to a song

 

Now take away the weapons

Designed for use in war

Without those deadly instruments

We’d save so many more

 

Taiwan and Ukraine

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

 

Taiwan and Ukraine

 

China is to Taiwan

As Russia is to Ukraine

A world of aggressive war

Is a world gone insane

 

We have lived with war too long

We have sanctioned its abuse

When invaders are rewarded

We have lit a deadly fuse

 

Ukraine is a sovereign nation

All the world must agree

Taiwan is an independent state

With the right to be free

 

China is to Russia

As Taiwan is to Ukraine

The right to independence

The responsibility to refrain

 

Dreamers

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DREAM

Dreamers

 

In all my days I’ve wanted nothing more

Than to dream and act on my dreams

Our lives have so much hardship in store

Our ambitions are just what they seem

 

We want a chance at higher education

We want jobs at a decent wage

We want to live in a fair and thriving nation

We want to see an enlightened age

 

We are the ones who believe in the dream

The ones who will carry the light

We wish to join the American team

We will keep our goals in sight

 

We are really no different than you are

We desire the same things you do

A home, a family a working car

To prove that the dream is still true

 

Putin's Pain

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

Putin’s Pain

 

When you’ve paid the price of war

When your sons and daughters are no more

When you understand it was all in vain

Remember: Putin feels your pain

 

This war was never justified

You only fight for Putin’s pride

While the nation feels the strain

Take heart: He feels your pain

 

We’ve had enough of Putin’s kind

A leader leads, this man is blind

Ambitions poison his brain

He can never feel your pain

 

This war must one day finally end

The wounds of war must finally mend

It’s time past time to end his reign

Let Putin feel the pain

 

Inevitability

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

 

Inevitability

 

Long may you taste the morning dew

The cry of destiny awakens you

Long may you drink from the deepest well

The moon and seven stars foretell

Long may you run in heaven’s bliss

Where muses dance and angels kiss

 

We are as children on a magic bus

Building memories with wide eyes

The daily wonders surround us

The miracles that truth defies

We gather seeds that astound us

We do not gather flies

 

Fate becomes our motto and creed

It sanctions every word and deed

We follow destiny to its end

On that our lives and loves depend

 

As we grow old we finally see

There’s no such thing as destiny

Inevitably we understand

Our fate is guided by our hand

 

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!)