Memorial (on Memorial Day)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Memorial

 

My father we remember you

You fought the war in your own way

A prizefighter and a military policeman

We remember you on this special day

 

My mother we remember you

You also served in your own way

Joining the workforce far from home

We remember you on this special day

 

My brother we remember you

You stood against an unjust war

One of many soldiers of conscience

Your cause was worth fighting for

 

My sisters too we remember you

Who served each in her own way

The ones who sacrificed all you had

We remember you this special day

 

War and Warriors

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WAR

Warriors and War

 

To the warriors of World War II

So long ago and so far away

Your numbers now are quite few

But the elders among us remember you

For the courage that you showed

On that fateful day in June

The dark side of the moon

When you landed on that forlorn shore

The stuff of Hollywood and lore

We bow our heads in admiration

The pride of a grateful nation

 

To the warriors who fought in Vietnam

Not quite so proud and true

We offer you our deep respect

May we always honor you

As we remember those who fell

From them we ring the solemn bell

And promise not to make again

The mistakes we made back then

The warrior we should never blame

For the war the fought in our name

 

To the warriors of Afghanistan

Once again we honor you

Though the cause was less than true

You did what you must do

You answered a mourning nation’s call

The young and able, one and all

To fight a shameful terrorist attack

They hit us hard, we hit them back

But soon enough they spun around

And sent you to Iraq

 

To the warriors of Iraq

We owe you our apology

We sent you far across the sea

To fight against an enemy

That never did our people harm

And yet we took up arms

So many lost their lives

In a war that was not wise

We honor and remember you

For being strong and true

Possibilities of Being (re: Heidegger)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Possibilities of Being

 

We are not confined to what we are

We are what we are yet we are also

what we were and what we might

have been and might yet be

We are ourselves and all possibilities

of being ourselves

 

If we fully understand our state of being

it is always and forever changing

with the constant flow of possibility

yet its essence remains the same

 

There is that which is possible

and there is that which is not

If that which is theoretically possible

would alter the very core of being

it exceeds the boundaries of possibility

and falls into the realm of mythology

 

We are what we are including all

possibilities of what we may have

been or might still be yet those

possibilities are not without limits

in this world or the next

 

(re: Heidegger)

 

Kerouac & Cassady

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Kerouac & Cassady

 

Jack and Neal were the best of friends

Like Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty

Bound in brotherhood until the end

But Moriarty looked out for himself

His loyalty was the kind that bends

We think back on Jack in that Mexico City bed

When Moriarty left Paradise for dead *

 

What kind of friend would turn his back

On a brother in desperate need?

Was there something inside that he lacked?

Like letting a wounded warrior bleed

We wonder now what was in his head

When he left his friend for dead

 

He was sick and gasping for breath

Broken and bound to his bed

He was facing the shadow of death

With a vision of where it all led

What did he think when he picked up and left?

Did he feel some sense of dread?

When he took the car and hit the road

Leaving our hero for dead

 

Sal Paradise or Jack Kerouac

Did you ever wonder why?

Dean Moriarty or Neal Cassady

When he left you there to die

 

* On The Road by Jack Kerouac

 

Religious Freedom & Evolution

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: RELIGION

Religious Freedom & Evolution

 

Every individual on the planet

Has a right to believe whatever

He or she chooses to believe

So long as that belief does not obstruct

The life or liberty of others

 

All religions that honor this right

Should in turn be honored and

Embraced for whatever good they do

And provide for human dignity

 

Any religion that fails to uphold this right

That exceeds the boundaries of religious

tolerance should be compelled to evolve

In its beliefs for the advancement and

Betterment of civilization as a whole

 

Many religions (not all but many)

In their original forms – like the civilizations

That formed them – were built on a

Foundation of conquest and war

 

While this disposition may have served

Humankind in ways we no longer understand

Any purpose or benefit it once served has

Like the creatures of ancient times

Run its course and now serves only to

Impede the progress and survival

Of all inhabitants of the planet

 

Let us therefore dedicate ourselves to

A new and higher system of human

Belief and religious practice

 

Let us reform our religions in accordance

With the principal of tolerance and

Respect for our fellow beings

 

Amen.

Mother Earth

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

Mother Earth

 

It is not enough to plant a tree

We must restore the sanctity

Of Mother Earth and Father Sky

It is not enough to wonder why

We must change our point of view

Invent a way of living true

To what this world demands

It is time to take a stand

The poisons in our water

The rivers are our daughters

The mountains are our sons

They live to nourish everyone

We must measure what we’re worth

By what we do for Mother Earth

 

Thailand Awakens

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

Thailand Awakens

 

The world is awakening from

A long and dangerous slumber

As the strongmen take power

And work to destroy democracy

As they attack the free press

As they attack civil society

As they attack the right to assemble

As they attack the right to protest

As they attack the right to dissent

As they dismantle their constitutions

As they challenge the right to vote

As they burn the bill of rights

As they burn books of free thought

At first the people go along

It is easier to go along

They watch in utter disbelief

They deny their own eyes and ears

It cannot happen here

They pretend it doesn’t matter

It can’t touch them where they live

Until it does

Then they awaken

Slowly at first and by degrees

Until the masses finally rise

To reclaim their human dignity

To reclaim their human rights

For some there is still time

For others it is too late

The damage done

Democracy once lost

Is difficult to regain

Pray it is not too late

Not for Thailand

Nor for us

 

Turkey Rises (or Falls)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

Turkey Rises (or Falls)

 

The people awaken

After years of silent slumber

The temptations of the autocrat

The ones who promise all yet

deliver nothing but the same old deal

Everything for the privileged class

Nothing for the poor

 

Erdogan promised the world

but he governed like a king

He crushed the opposition by all means

Mass arrests and mass detention

Demonize dissent, outlaw protest

Rule with an iron fist

 

But the people tire of his act

The people tire of their silence

The people tire of pretending they

are pleased with his brutality

The people have begun to

identify with the oppressed

 

Now the people assert their power

They have held on to their democracy

They have maintained the essence of

constitutional rule

The people rise as Erdogan falls

(or Erdogan rises as the people fall)

 

India Rises

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

India Rises

 

The seductive charm of Modi

has lost its hypnotic hold

The vote in Karnataka was

decisive, clear and bold

The voice of the Indian nation

has spoken loud and plain

Rejecting Hindu nationalism

Declaring all of it insane

 

Now India reclaims its place

among proud republican states

No longer must she hide her face

A brighter future now awaits

All nations as all people

at times must lose their way

To understand their destinies

To reclaim a better day

 

Soon Modi takes his leave

and all of India will rise

His legacy a broken dream

of hatred and of lies

 

Leverage

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

Leverage

 

We have a lot of leverage over Ukraine

And little over Vladimir Putin

If Ukraine wins the war Putin is lost

A pariah in the world

A criminal confined to his borders

If Putin wins Ukraine ceases to exist

 

So when the big bully says

He will end the war in days

You do not have to wonder

What he means

 

He’ll give everything to Putin

And next to nothing to Zelensky

He’ll ask one thing of the Kremlin:

A Trump Hotel in Moscow

Perhaps a golf course and resort

 

This is why Putin will not give ground

This is why Russian soldiers die

So that Putin can extend the war

Until his asset-ally in Washington

Assumes the American throne

 

This is what rides on the next election

Not just the health of the planet

Not just democracy in America

Not just the rights of women

Not just the carnage on our streets

Not just equal treatment of minorities

Not just an equitable economy

Not just the future of healthcare

But the balance of world power

And the independence of Ukraine

 

A Hundred Thousand

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

A Hundred Thousand

 

A hundred thousand people die

We shake our heads and heave a sigh

A hundred thousand people dead

We turn it off and go to bed

 

A hundred thousand have no names

Our hearts are numb; we have no shame

A hundred thousand far away

A hundred thousand yesterday

A hundred thousand isn’t real

We have no tears, we do not feel

Another time, another place

A hundred thousand has no face

Has no mourners, leaves no trace

 

But a neighbor or a second cousin

Someone you once knew

A teller at your local bank

The singer with the two-tone shoes

A tender at the bar you drank

A teacher at the old school

A person with a name and face

Touches you in the very place

You live, you mourn, you grieve

 

You feel the death of one

As you will feel the deaths to come

But the death of thousands

Leaves you untouched and numb

 

Remembering Mama

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

Remembering Mama

 

We remember you most every day

Your smile, your voice, your special way

Of giving sound advice

You would not tell us twice

Once was all you needed

Your values firmly seeded

They grew along with us

We built a sense of trust

You would never lead astray

We remember to this day

 

You taught us what it was to love

Sometimes a gentle shove

Would put us on the track

We could never pay you back

For all the love and kindness

You knew how to unwind us

To lay us gently down to rest

Feeling warm and loved and blessed

You were always smart and clever

We’ll remember you forever

 

[Mothers Day 2023]