The Price of Freedom

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

The Price of Freedom

 

In El Salvador they have no freedom

They traded it for order

Not long ago gangs ruled the streets

Drugs and human trafficking

Freely crossed the border

Murder rape and mayhem

The people fled in droves

Escaping a state of anarchy

To where nobody knows

 

They elected a hardnosed autocrat

On a promise of establishing law

He eliminated the opposition

Replaced justices with his own

He cracked down on honest journalists

Denied the right to protest

Free speech and the right to assemble

Imprisoned gangs without a trial

 

Nayib Bukele is no friend to democracy

But he kept his solemn promise

A land of chaos became a land of order

People are safer within their border

They may live without fear

 

There is a lesson and a warning here

For all democratic nations

When the people are not safe

When the police are on the take

When the government is corrupt

When there is no sense of hope

The people will sacrifice their freedom

They will abandon democracy

And democracy, once sacrificed

Is not easily returned

 

Casualties of Culture

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GUN CONTROL

Casualties of Culture

 

How many dead?  How many wounded?

That’s all we want to know

How many dead?  How many wounded?

Our sense of helplessness grows

 

What if you knew them?

What if your child was dead?

Would you still say the pledge?

Would you still vote red?

 

We kill more people than any other nation

With our guns and our right to arms

We shed more tears for the innocent

With our guns we do more harm

 

We have been here many times before

And we have rarely taken action

For the countless victims of gun violence

There is no satisfaction

 

They wring their hands and say their prayers

They will hang their heads in mourning

They will act as if they really care

We will let that serve as warning

 

Nothing ever changes unless we vote

For change.

 

They Kill Their Own

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ISRAEL/GAZA

They Kill Their Own

 

In the battle against hypocrisy

No one should stand alone

The solemn truth about Hamas:

Sadly, they kill their own

 

Palestinians who make a choice

Not to take either side

Netanyahu nor Hamas

Neither one can we abide

 

They find themselves in danger

In the streets and in their homes

The IDF will kill them anywhere

But Hamas will kill their own

 

We pray for peace and soon

So much heartbreak to atone

But there can be no mercy

For those who kill their own

 

There are crimes against humanity

There are crimes that are unknown

But there are no greater crimes

Than the killing of your own

 

Dirty Politics

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN POLITICS

Dirty Politics

 

When one side plays dirty

And covers its tracks

With anonymity or pretending

To be someone they’re not

(Russians pretending to be Americans

Or trolls pretending to be human)

Traditionally the other side

Reacts in kind

Dirt for dirt

Scum for scum

Nastiness for nastiness

 

When one side plays dirty

And the other plays clean

It’s up to the people to decipher

Truth from deception

Propaganda from fact

It’s up to the people to smell a rat

It falls to the people to weigh

The message against the messenger

And arrive at a reasoned conclusion

 

We know the truth

We are not fools

We see the crooked smiles

The con man grin

We recognize the hustle

Trust your gut

Trust your heart

Turn the rotten bastards around

And tell them where to go

 

From Russia with Love

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

From Russia with Love

 

The evidence in

And none can be surprised

The radical right firebrands

Are pimping Russian lies

 

You’ve heard them on the X files

Screaming louder than the rest

Spreading Putin’s propaganda

And pounding on their chests

 

They don’t care about the truth

They only care about the money

Meantime Vlad is smirking

Seems he thinks it’s kinda funny

 

If you don’t believe your eyes

If you cannot trust your ears

The Russians have your number

And they’re preying on your fears

 

Now that we know the jig is up

It’s time to realign your thoughts

Who you think is an American

Is absolutely not

 

Trump World

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN POLITICS

Trump World

 

There’s no telling what he might say

The man deteriorates every day

 

In Trump world

Europe is our adversary

Russia is our friend

 

In Trump world

Mothers execute babies after birth

 

In Trump world

Schools turn little boys

Into little girls

 

In Trump world

Criminal migrants swarm the nation

From Colorado to Wisconsin

And no one is safe

 

In Trump world

Win or lose the streets will flow

With the blood of his revenge

 

In Trump world

He is not only God’s messenger

He is God’s holy warrior

God’s right hand of vengeance

 

In Trump world

We are all suspect

Lawyers, operatives, donors, agents

Voters and election officials

We will be sought, caught and prosecuted

To the fullest extent of the law

 

In Trump world

You and I are the enemy

And he vows to take us down

 

Highway to Climate Hell

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

Highway to Climate Hell

 

“We’re playing Russian roulette with our

planet and we need an exit ramp off the

highway to climate hell.”

 

Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary General

 

 

The hottest summer in recorded time

Year after year after scorching year

Yet still there are those who will deny

  Don’t worry, friends, have another beer

  Ours is not to wonder why

  Have a laugh and ring the bell

  We’re on the road to climate hell!

 

We could help if only we had the will

That we don’t is becoming clear

We’ve leaders yelling drill baby drill

  Have a party and raise a cheer

  Sit back and take a pill

  There is no need to fear

  In the end by God it turns our well

  On the road to climate hell!

 

Clarence the Corrupt

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN JUSTICE

Clarence the Corrupt

 

Clarence Thomas takes the honor

As the most corrupt justice in history

His actions, words and rulings

Seem boldly prone to infamy

 

He owes it all to Harlan Crow

To the tune of millions of dollars

To whom he owes allegiance

He should wear it on his collar

 

He’s a very wealthy man

Who does not care how it appears

The end of his subsistence

Is the only thing he fears

 

He was a snake going in

He’ll be a snake going out

That his corruption is severe

Is far beyond reasonable doubt

 

Justice Thomas should resign

He should hang his head in shame

An embarrassment to the court

A disgrace to the family name

 

Berlin Lament

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

Berlin Lament

 

The rise of the right in Germany

Makes us wonder where decency went

Their success in the recent elections

Has us singing the Berlin lament

 

It reminds us we can never rest

We must always be on guard

To face the latest fascist test

To stand up though it may be hard

To put forth our democratic best

While they play the racist card

 

We applaud our fellows in Germany

Who rise in democracy’s defense

We must never yield to their pressure

Lest we sing the Berlin lament

 

For the Workers

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LABOR

For the Workers

 

Stand up for the working folks

As they fight for a decent wage

The corporations pad their profits

The workers have their rage

 

If the corporates have their way

The workers will have no rights

The only time they have a say

Is when they go on strike

 

The hotel workers walk the line

Their raise is way overdue

To us they’re looking for a sign

A good reason to vote blue

 

In the year of an election

The workers hold the power

Give them what they want and need

A living wage per hour

 

The fight for labor never ends

We know you’re growing tired

But know your enemies and your friends

And which ones we should fire

 

People of Israel Rising

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ISRAEL/GAZA

People of Israel Rising

 

The people of Israel are rising

Fed up with your dirty war

Fed up with your phony efforts

Sickened to their very core

 

They’re tired of supporting you

You think you’re so damn clever

Without regard for what you do

You want a war to fight forever

 

You’ll always have another reason

As the blood flows down the streets

Another war for every season

Your anger fuels the heat

 

Bring all your people home today

The people you did not defend

It doesn’t matter what you say

It is time for your war to end

 

The people are your masters

Not the other way around

Your way has been a great disaster

Have the courage to step down

 

We're Still There

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: IRAQ

We’re Still There

 

We invaded Iraq without provocation

We created the backlash of ISIS

We proved ourselves an imperial nation

When we exploited the 911 crisis

 

ISIS became a growing concern

When we left Iraq in tatters

The conquering nations never learn

As every empire shatters

 

We left Iraq an absolute mess

Iran exploited our disaster

We did what often we do best

When ambition is our master

 

We lost the war to national pride

But not the kind you’re thinking

The pride was on the other side

Our ship of state was sinking

 

We left Iraq many years ago

We were caught in a dragon’s lair

As doubt in our intentions grow

We acknowledge we’re still there

 

Indiscriminate Bombing

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: PUTIN

Indiscriminate Bombing

 

Indiscriminate bombing is a crime against humanity

Putin’s bombing of Ukraine is a testament to insanity

He doesn’t care how many die

How many mothers and fathers cry

He is immune to human emotion

Brutality is his method, cruelty his devotion

He is a monster plain and clear

He rules by ruthlessness and fear

When his war comes to an end

He’ll have no allies and no friends

Except the man at Mar-a-Lago

Whose moral founding is Iago

He will be a wanted man

The world will bind him if we can

And we will try him for his crimes

Among the monsters of all time

 

High IQ

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN POLITICS

High IQ

 

Like a musician who can’t hum a tune

Or a midnight show at noon

The brightest light in any room

Should know better than this:

Degrading Make-a-Wish

A photo op at Arlington

Dismissing the Medal of Honor

Insulting John McCain

The man cannot refrain

 

A man of high IQ

(if we take him at his word)

Shouldn’t stumble on the easy things

It almost seems absurd

Like a plane that has no wings

Like a listener who never heard

Or a singer who doesn’t sing

Or the winner who finished third

 

It seems he never had a clue

He had a lot of money

What else could he do?

He had to win the highest office

His kind can never lose

Except he did and will again

The false becomes the true

The greatest man who’s ever been

A man of high IQ

 

KGB

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: PUTIN

KGB (by any other name)

 

Putin led the KGB

Against all western ways

He practiced his deceptions

He tortured killed and maimed

The villains on the other side

Would never be the same

The KGB it never died

They just changed the name

 

Putin was the KGB

He went against the grain

He lacked all moral grounding

His cruelty was plain

A ruthlessness we can’t abide

The way he played the game

The KGB it never died

They just changed its name

 

The evil forces are in charge

They’re borderline insane

They want to conquer everyone

They’re efforts are in vain

They waited in the shadows

Before the darkness came

The KGB it never died

They just changed its name

 

They took hold of Crimea

Before the invasion of Ukraine

That they want to rule the world

Has become so very plain

If Putin had a conscience

He would live in constant shame

The KGB it never died

They just changed its name

 

Hang Your Head (for RFK Jr.)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Hang Your Head

 

I remember Bobby well

He gave the people hope

What a story he would tell

About his son’s descending slope

 

Bobby stood against the war

In a far-off Asian land

His son stands with Putin

As if he ever gave a damn

 

When he takes the stage with Trump

His father rises from his grave

He’s the child who craves attention

We must implore him to behave

 

You stand against your father’s will

So hang your head in shame

To the mountain you are just a hill

You’ve disgraced the family name

 

We won’t remember Bobby

For the evil that you do

For we know that he opposes

All those who stand with you

(RFK Jr. endorses Trump)

Hope Rises

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Hope Rises

 

The night belongs to hope

A memory of the past

When they dwelled in the White House

Somehow we knew it would not last

But here on this Chicago night

Our hopes begin to stir

They linger in the rafters

The thought of how things were

When a man with funny ears

And a rhythm to his step

Led with calm and dignity

A mood that never slept

He lifted us with words

He calmed us through the night

With him we always knew

It would all turn out right

So now they bring a message

That hope will always rise

When good people come together

And answer to the cry:

Freedom, hope and dignity

Comfort us once more

They speak and we remember

What we’re fighting for

 

(The Obamas at the DNC)

The Age of Fire

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL WARMING

The Age of Fire

 

We are in the age of fire

Of that there is no doubt

There are consequences dire

There are no easy ways out

 

You can hope and you can pray

If it helps you to feel good

But we will have to face the day

When we must do the things we should

 

We are in the age of fire

The age of industry is done

We must raise our spirits higher

As we throw away our guns

 

There is far too much to lose

Without power hungry wars

A better way is ours to choose

We must open every door

 

To a safer way of being

A way to tame the fire beast

A way of living and of seeing

That will harm the planet least