Sedition in Hong Kong

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

Sedition in Hong Kong

 

Sedition in Hong Kong

Is daring to act like a journalist

 

Sedition in Hong Kong

Is daring to criticize Beijing

 

Once there was hope of freedom

Freedom of speech

Freedom of assembly

Freedom to march the streets in protest

Freedom to publish your views

 

That hope was brutally attacked

By the officers of oppression

 

Now they jail journalists

Now they serve warning to all

Who would ever dare oppose them

 

They don’t know the history of resistance

They don’t know the power of the people

It may take a decade of resistance

It may take a century of defiance

But the people will not forget

The people will not give in

They will find a way forward

They will find the path to freedom

They will march toward democracy

Step by step, year after year

Decade after decade

Until at last they prevail

 

(Stand News editors Chung Pui-kuen

and Patrick Lam sentence to prison.)

 

The Choice (Abortion)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

The Choice (Abortion)

 

He engineered the change

That struck down Roe V. Wade

But never mind he didn’t mean it

He’s all pro-choice today

 

He sang a different tune

Not so very long ago

He must have lived on the moon

Please say it isn’t so

 

The choice goes to the states

On that (he says) we all agreed

But hold on here and wait!

That no one wants or needs

 

Every woman should have a right

No matter where she lives

That’s like turning day to night

It’s not your right to give

 

You may say you’re not to blame

But we all know that it’s true

The court did it in your name

So the blame must fall on you

 

No Words

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

No Words

 

Masha has no father, no family

She has no words for Vladimir Putin

She is from Kiev

To be from Kiev is to know sorrow

The sorrow of losing loved ones

The sorrow of losing one’s home

The sorrow of losing a life

She has no words for Vladimir Putin

She has only hatred

 

The war drags on like a stubborn storm

Like an illness that won’t go away

An aching throbbing persistent pain

A disease of the heart and soul

Like a never-ending rain

 

We have no words for Vladimir Putin

He has no heart for us

He has no care for human suffering

He has only his ambition

He feels nothing for anyone but his self

 

If the world is to find a way forward

We must move forward without him

He is a growth that must be removed

He is the heart of all our sorrow

We have no more words for him

Only hate

Only pity

Only sorrow

Corporate Healthcare

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: POEMICS

Corporate Healthcare

 

Corporations have a place

(at the moment I’m not sure where)

But it is certain on its face

That it’s not in medical care

 

When profit is your motive

You are bound to come up short

Your only interest then becomes

Staying out of court

 

How many people die

Because they didn’t have the care

The nurses and the doctors

To protect the corporate share?

 

Let them dominate the markets

Let them buy the corporate chains

But when it comes to hospitals

The profit motive is insane

 

The people know by instinct

When we need a helping hand

The last place we would turn to

Wears a corporate brand

 

As Election Day Draws Near

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Election Day (Clear Choice)

 

If you believe in a right to choose

The choice is absolutely clear

Down the line your vote is blue

As election day draws near

 

If you believe in a free Ukraine

An untethered Putin you should fear

The truth is absolutely plain

As election day draws near

 

If you want to end the Gaza war

If the genocide draws your tears

There’s only one way to close that door

As election day draws near

 

If you favor our democracy

If the founders you hold dear

If you don’t want an autocracy

The choice is very clear

 

If you believe in labor rights

Your choice is very clear

Who stands beside you in your fight

As election day draws near?

 

If you fear the planet’s warming

As the phony naysayers jeer

If you find the giant storms alarming

Your choice is beyond clear

 

Come November 5: Vote!

 

Stop the War!

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: ISRAEL AT WAR

Stop the War (Letter to Biden)

 

Mister President

You are still the president

As Netanyahu expands the war

With his attacks on Lebanon

With his threats against Iran

You are the only one on earth

Who can stop this madness

You have the key to Israeli power

Though you have sworn not to use it

Netanyahu is taunting you

Daring you to act

He does not believe you will do it

He’s got you in a vice

How long can this go on?

How far can he push you?

In the name of peace

In the name of justice

Withhold funding for Israel

Withhold weapons and military aid

Do it in small increments

Then larger and larger still

Secure the remaining hostages

Secure the Israeli people

Secure Palestine a future

By removing Netanyahu from

His place of ultimate power

You will pave the road to peace

It will take political courage

It will involve risk

But there is no other way

 

The Crypto King

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUMP DAZE

The Crypto King

 

The con of all cons

Like an Edsel with wings

Let’s hear it for the Don!

The crypto currency king

 

He sold us the golden shoes

Trading cards and magic rings

How can we ever lose?

He’s the crypto currency king

 

He’s lost more money than anyone

He’s run a thousand stings

He’ll pass it all to his elder son

The new crypto currency king

 

Crypto is the king of cons

It’s a currency for crooks

Let’s give it up to the Don

And open up his books

 

He’ll take your hard-earned cash

He’ll do a dance and sing

He’ll put the proceeds in his stash

He’s the crypto currency king

(Trump starts a new crypto currency.)

 

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