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!)

 

Mississippi Vanishing (River Series)

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: RIVERS SERIES

Mississippi Vanishing (River Series)

 

The great river of a mighty continent

The pounding heartbeat of America

Runs dry before our very eyes

Mississippi vanishing

 

Did we know it would happen like this?

Did we know it would happen so fast?

She was once the mother of rivers

So powerful strong and vast

 

Will we mourn her when she leaves us?

Will it tear our hearts apart?

It was here that Clemens flourished

The Mississippi blessed his start

 

The great river is now dying

Like the land it fuels and feeds

The warming of a planet

Neglect of its vital needs

 

Bitter Days of War

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: UKRAINE

Bitter Days of War

 

The cold and bitter days of war

Rain down upon our friends

Their cause is well worth fighting for

On us they must depend

 

Our enemy has challenged us

Can we stay the course?

Through the brutal nights of winter

Through the darkest days of war

 

The missiles are still flying

With winter at the door

Do not forget their suffering

In the bitter days of war

 

They’ve fought so hard and long

Through misery and more

Give them all they want and need

In the bitter days of war

 

Going Down

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

Going Down

 

Manchin and Sinema did their best

Holding back the best they could

With every reason from east to west

For not doing what they should

 

But when the election came around

The anti-democracy crowd went down

 

It’s not supposed to be this way

For the party of the working man

The candidates are supposed to say

This is where we make our stand

 

So when the election comes around

The anti-democracy crowd goes down

 

We won this time

We fought them back

We changed some minds

We’re back on track

But have no doubt they will return

The question is: what have we learned?

 

If they rise to fight again

Will democracy always win?