Friday, May 29, 2020

The Fever

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



The Fever

Like a phantom in the depth of night
It creeps up on you
Taps you on the shoulder
Takes a bite

You wonder at the sudden chill
The sweat that crawls over you
Like a swarm of microscopic things
Like the warning you never saw
Before it was past too late

You’ve heard that taste and smell
Are dulled by the viral beast

You sniff the air
Nothing
Sniff the sheet

Fear grips you from the inside
Leaves you paralyzed
Staring like a fool
Into faraway empty skies

You don’t rush to the kitchen
You don’t take the test tonight
What if?  What if?

You wait
You take your time
You think
You prepare your mind

Eyes wide shut
Brain closed tight
Tension builds till morning light

Coffee never tasted so sweet




Thursday, May 28, 2020

The Fire

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Fire

A flame sparks in the east
Wuhan
And the president said
Not a problem buy some bread

Sparks burst into flames
Seattle
And the president said
Go back to sleep nobody’s dead

Flames erupt into fire
New York
And the president declared
Blame Obama if you’re running scared

Wildfire spread across the land
Detroit Chicago New Orleans
And the president fumed
Not my fault if we’re all doomed

Out of control raging fire
And the president steamed
Wake up wake up! it’s only a dream


Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Earth Abides

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES



Earth Abides

The sound of robins singing
In the clear fresh air of spring
Births memories of simpler times
When we were free to breathe

The earth abides

We are but a whisper
Lost in a dream
And I am but a dreamer
Drifting with the breeze

To wolves and coyotes
To the rattlesnake and crow
The days of wonder have arrived
The day the humans stayed home

We were the stewards of this earth
But we failed to hold the line
Now we face the woeful consequence
Of pretending we’re divine

The earth abides
The sun still shines
Life blooms wildlife thrives
As we await the waning tide

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Lost Souls

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Lost Souls

Wandering without direction
Faces drawn in thin lines
Gaunt shallow undefined
Echoes of emotion
Hollow

They stand where people used to be
They take our places in line
They walk in our paces
Unseeing eyes
Blind

Who are these lost souls? 
Were they ever alive? 

Did they speak in our voices?
Were we of the same tribe? 

Pray for the lost
Pray we will find
Meaning purpose devotion
Give us back our lives
 



Monday, May 25, 2020

Inward

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Inward

Eyes turn inward
Gaze turns back

Scattered images attack
My inner consciousness
Like a flickering strobe

A kid from Nashville who thanked me
With a Yankees shirt and a wry grin
A ride on the Staten Island Ferry
To the shining statue of hope
A woman on the road in Chicago
Who slipped me a twenty on the sly
A ride from hell in the Shenandoah Valley
A whisper in a crowded auditorium

Eyes turn inward
Gaze turns back

So many fleeting memories
Floating in and out of mind
Is this the fluff and stuff of dreams
Or the darkness gaining hold?


Sunday, May 24, 2020

Misinformation Kills

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Misinformation Kills

In normal times telling lies
To promote your cause
Is par for the course
Like clouds in the sky
As easy as pie

In normal times no one cares
A page in the book
A glance not a look
A walk not a ride
We brush it aside

But these are not normal times
The stakes are too high
Someone might die
So say what you will
Misinformation kills



Saturday, May 23, 2020

We Will Rise Again

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


After the Fall

We will rise again after the fall
We will strike down the border wall
That protected us from imagined beasts
And find new unity west and east
To face our common foes

United we will make a stand
Man and woman hand in hand
Together we will gather
To shed our common tears
Together we will march
To face our common fears

We will rise again after the fall
We will sing and dance and raise the call
No longer will we cower and hide
We are of the earth and earth abides
Despite our common woes

Friday, May 22, 2020

The Test

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Test

How long can we last before the walls
Begin to fold in on us?

How long before our minds wobble
Shake and take flight?

Some can endure this endless state
Of nothing but the same
This existential perpetuity
This flight of the flightless dodo
This song of endless woe

Round and round she goes
Like water down the drain
Like weeks of endless rain
Like enticing the insane
Just to feel alive

We are puppets in a wooden chest
Long forgotten put to rest
Nothing beating in our breasts
Trying hard to do our best
And falling like an empty nest
Failing the final test

How long can we last?

Thursday, May 21, 2020

The Fall of Privacy

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Fall of Privacy

The pandemic experts agree
For the good of all
(and the wealth of some)
They must follow every movement
All the time everywhere
Your walk to the drugstore
Your time at the fair
The people you encounter
Who breathe the same air

It all makes sense
In a fight for our lives
But our freedoms once taken
May never revive

In a battle for survival
Privacy is the first casualty




Wednesday, May 20, 2020

The Second Wave

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Second Wave

When history is written it will record
We grew too confident
We dropped our guard

We had the virus on the run
Kept our distance stayed at home
Till the sun came shining
And the days looked bright
And we celebrated the close
Of a long goodnight

So when it comes back
To reap sweet revenge
What will we do then? 
Fight back or give in?

We’ll fight of course
And we’ll fight again
That’s who we are
And always have been
We’ll fight and fight and fight
Till at last we win



Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Contact Tracing

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Contact Tracing

He was a hands on kind of guy
He liked to look you in the eye
Grab you by your shoulder
Take and shake your hand
Always wore a smile
Had a lot of things to say

Too old to change his ways
When the great shadow came
And it seemed like it might stay

He shook hands with his neighbor
Who took it home to his kid
Who spent an hour in the park
Where he played with his friend
Who took it home to his father
Where his Uncle Mac gave him a hug
And passed it to his mother
Who forgot about the virus
When she walked down to the store
Where the clerk had a word
And passed it to her friend
Who helped your grandson patch a tire
Who passed it on to you

How could such a thing happen
When we’ve taken all precautions?

We are only as strong
As our weakest bond


Monday, May 18, 2020

The Highest Price

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Highest Price

Hurricanes twisters pandemics depression
An infestation of rats and mice
It’s a hard hard truth and it’s cold as ice
The poor folks pay the highest price

From the Bronx to Philadelphia
Baton Rouge to Atlanta West
Atlantic City to Detroit
Old Seattle to Miami vice
No matter how you toss the dice
The poor folks pay the highest price

From the race riots in ‘65
The great Chicago fire
Falling bridges collapsing towers
So much tragedy so much loss
The poor folks pay the highest cost

The color of wealth is white and yellow
The color of want is black and brown
When hard times hit and knock us down
They hit hardest on the poor side of town

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Dying for Democracy (Wisconsin)

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Dying for Democracy (Wisconsin)

Determined people stand in line
Six feet apart hours on hours
Wearing masks and gloves
In rain and wind and cold
To cast their votes and
Speak their rightful minds

What price democracy? 

The highest law in the land
The justices supreme decree
Anyone who votes this day
Must gamble with their lives

What do you say?
Do you want to die today?
How much does it mean to you?

One last vote for a dying democracy
One last stand before the end
One last salute to duty
Honor and the American way


Saturday, May 16, 2020

South Dakota

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


South Dakota

Centuries ago invading armies threatened
Their existence with poisoned blankets
Smallpox infested gifts of the civilized tribe

The Lakota survived

In the great westward expansion
Blue coats fought native warriors
Outgunned and outnumbered
To a standstill dividing the tribes
Forced them to live on reservations
Sent them to Indian schools where
They cut out your tongues
And buried them in history books

The Lakota survived

They massacred the buffalo
To the edge of extinction
Destroyed the Lakota way of life
In every way they could

The Lakota survived

Now the white man’s government
Threatens the tribes once again
With their determined ignorance
Discarding science and medicine
Condemning all to suffer the ravages
Of a deadly pandemic

The Lakota will survive

But at what cost?

How many lives will be lost
To the white man’s folly?

Friday, May 15, 2020

Bury the Dead

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Bury the Dead

Mass graves in Central Park
Cremated remains in Lake Pontchartrain
A tribute to the heroes the survivors
And the families of the dead

The dead themselves no longer care
Pray they have passed to a better place
Though in truth we know not where

How many died in vain?
How many deaths ordained?
We must all wonder though
Few will voice the words

We let it rest
Leave it for another day
We cry we mourn we pray
But we will not ask
How many died in vain
Until the dead are put away
Until the day after we ask
Where do we bury the dead?

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Silence

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


Silence

Broadway at midnight in the midst
Of the great pandemic
New Orleans’ French Quarter to Jackson Square
Columbus Avenue in San Francisco
Grant Park Chicago on a Sunday afternoon

There is a silence that bears the weight
Of a planet’s worried souls

There is a sorrow deeper than the depths
Of the human heart

From stadiums in the great cities
To small town bars and restaurants
A silence descends like a curtain on
The darkest night

None dare speak its name
None dare summon its power
Take cover and hide
Quiet do not breathe

We know its name
But we will not speak it aloud
Not now
Not ever


Wednesday, May 13, 2020

The Great Cleansing

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Great Cleansing

The heavens opened up her gates
And down poured the rains of Eden
To wash away all our depravities
And clean our very souls

A hundred million voices sang as one
Forgive us our misdeeds and let us live again
For we have learned our lessons and
We have paid a price in sorrow far
Greater than the seven salted seas

And the rains came down and thunder
Cracked the eternal sky
Until alas there were no more tears to cry
And every mother’s son and daughter
Knew we would survive
To breathe in joy and sorrow one more time

And everyone alive swore
On all that is sacred and pure
This time we will do it right
This time we will care for the poor
This time we will lift humanity over wealth
This time we will embrace our role
As caretakers of the earth

This time we swear

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

One

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


One

One world one planet one path
To survive the great pandemic
And resume the human race

We’ve lived through a Great Depression
Pestilence famine plague recessions
We’ll live through this and more
And rise in a state of grace

The lesson of this tragic tale
Is simple as true things are
We are not alone on this journey
We are one of infinite stars

The Lakota in their wisdom say
We are all of us related
We share the same ancestry
And to the same end we’re fated

The motto of this nation is
From the many we are one
If we fail to heed this message
As a species we are done

Monday, May 11, 2020

The Missing Moments

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: CORONAVIRUS SERIES


The Missing Moments

Life is a series of moments
Moments we embrace and treasure
Moments that give us pleasure
Like a precious stone to a jeweler
An image to a photographer
A revelation to the faithful

We gather our moments together
Store them in the attics of our brains
Sort them out and gaze at them
When times get rough or
We get sentimental

We like to think our moments
Belong to us like photos in a box
That can never be taken away

But time and circumstance
Like thieves in the night
Can strip them from us
Bury them or twist them till
We no longer recognize

Time and circumstance are stealing
Moments now that never happened
Welcoming a newborn babe
Into a bright and loving world
Catching a foul ball with a bare hand
Sharing a sunset in the sunset of our lives
Finding comfort in a crowd of friends
Witnessing nature in her naked glory
Basking in the warmth of family
Communing with precious friends

All the moments that might have been
Vanish with the poisoned wind
May we all create new moments
But we cannot have them back again



Sunday, May 10, 2020

Normalizing the Abnormal

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  CORONAVIRUS SERIES



Normalizing the Abnormal

Total transformation
In the flicker of flight
A dance in the darkness
With the shadows of doom
Flames jumping in glimmering light
Horrors receding on a fiendish night

A new way of living our daily lives
No bars no pubs no congregations
We exist now in isolation
A nation of loners is not a nation
We live in perpetual segregation

We walk our chosen paths alone
Observe from a distance
Converse on the phone
Interact on social media
Forever at home

We cease to be what we’ve always been
This new normal is foreign and strange
Without impulse or freedom of being
Like a marriage that’s been arranged