BBC V. Donald Trump

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUMP

  

BBC V. Donald Trump

 

The Donald took his shakedown

Across the Atlantic Sea

But his vengeance cruise ran aground

When he faced the BBC

 

We all watched as it went down

A clear attempt at a violent coup

Their report* was on solid ground

Though the Donald’s rage but grew

 

He challenged an angry mob

To assault the people’s house

He proclaimed revenge as his job

Whipped them up til they were roused

 

He told them he would lead them

Like a commander leads an attack

In the end he’d only bleed them

Before he finally walked it back

 

The man was guilty as bloody hell

The BBC should stand its ground

The day the republic almost fell

Their report was fully sound

 

* BBC report on January 6^th

Homeland Security

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: AMERICAN POLITICS

 

Homeland Security

 

Homeland Security was supposed

to protect us from terrorist attacks

Now they’re rounding up immigrants

on the streets of our cities

They’ve become a force of oppression

A force that the people fight back

 

This is the way of law enforcement

This is the way of intelligence agencies

They may begin with good intentions

But they gather power like shit gathers flies

They become the instruments of some

madman’s misbegotten lies

 

Are there no real terrorists to fight?

Or have they dropped the ball once again?

Are they on the job or have they lost sight?

Just like they did way back then

 

They don’t belong on the streets of LA

They should not be doing the job of ICE

Go back to you origin and find a way

Or we will all be paying a steep price

 

 

The Fall of Bolivar

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LATIN AMERICA

 

The Fall of Bolivar

 

The last stand of Simon Bolivar

The father of Latin American democracy

The nation named in his honor

Home to the first indigenous president

Defender of democratic socialism

Fallen to the forces of capitalism

 

One wonders if democracy can survive

For capitalism so often prefers strongmen

 

That it has survived in the northern hemisphere

In western Europe and America

Gives proof that elements of socialism and

Capitalism can coexist with democracy

 

That democracy is so often threatened

In capitalist dominated countries

(a list that now include the United States)

Gives proof that the forces opposed to socialism

Are the forces opposed to democracy

 

The autocrats are lining up against us

Social democracy is at risk

Democracy itself is threatened

Bolivar has fallen but the fight goes on

The people must rise to find a way

 

(Rodrigo Paz elected president of Bolivia) 

Orban the Despotic

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GLOBAL POLITICS

 

Orban the Despotic

 

Victor Orban and Donald Trump

The despot and the wannabe

When Orban yells his people jump

The dream the Donald dreams

 

There is no opposition

He puts them all in jail

He believes in superstitions

Orban the Great can never fail

 

They share an admiration

For the empires of old

They’d love to lead their nations

In thrones of purest gold

 

They subvert their constitutions

With every kind of measure

Like destroying institutions

That expose their dirty pleasures

 

Orban should go back home

We don’t need his tactics here

Your final days will come

We pray those days are near

 

 

Words

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: POEMICS

 

Words

 

Socialism is economics

A counterpoint to capitalism

Democracy is politics

A counter to authoritarianism

 

Don’t be afraid of words

When you don’t know what they mean

Don’t believe what you’ve heard

Question most of what you’ve seen

 

Communism does not exist

In any nation, town or state

If someone calls its name resist

And check the expiration date

 

Those who use these words to scare

Should not be trusted or embraced

They’re on the sly and do not care

They lack for honesty and grace

 

Words are charged with hidden meaning

They can mislead you and deceive

Some words could use a thorough cleaning

They have something up their sleeves

 

 

Hope Rises

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LIFE SONGS

 

Hope Rises

 

Hope rises like the Phoenix

And crashes like a bomb

Take a breath, make a wish

Decide what side you’re on

 

When you’re on the side of hope

You’re a moment from despair

From worrying how to cope

To doubting why you care

 

When hope rises from the dust

Every day becomes bright

When we shake off all that rust

We set out to make it right

 

We are the hopeful warriors

Just like we’ve always been

We’re workers and we’re lawyers

We’re ready to fight again

 

For hope rises with the sun

And hope falls in the deep of night

The long war cannot be won

Yet we will always seek the light

 

 

Reclaiming the Flag

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR:  AMERICAN DEMOCRACY

 

Reclaiming the Flag

 

Everybody wants to know what went down

Everybody has a point of view

Open up your ears and hear that sound

That’s a debt coming due

 

We reclaimed the flag last night

The colors red, white and blue

We took a flame to a firefight

We held strong and true

 

The next time they call you Red

Throw it back in their ugly faces

Defiance is the force they dread

In all the nation’s disparate places

 

We marched together hand in hand

Every color, tribe and station

We waved the flag across the land

Reclaiming our true nation

 

We weren’t afraid to take a stand

We weren’t afraid to tell it straight

In words that all could understand

Our America is great

 

The Democratic Facade

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

 

The Democratic Façade

 

In Tanzania they elected a president

Samia Suluhu Hassan

If a true republic is what they meant

Their chances are nearly gone

 

She tallied 98 percent of the vote

She believes that is a mandate

In fact that is a tally of note

That declared a miserable fate

 

For democracy requires an open field

In a free and fair election

A republic allows no such appeal

The fraud is beyond correction

 

Tanzania is now a phony façade

Another entry in the despots ring

When you’ve no choice but to applaud

The applause means less than nothing

 

We wonder why they even bother

To present themselves as free and fair

Like pretending a deity is your father

Why would you even dare?

 

 

Arms for Genocide

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: GENOCIDE

 

Arms for Genocide

 

Supplying arms for genocide

In Gaza or Darfur

Is a crime the world cannot abide

Of that we should be sure

 

The United Arab Emirates

Believes they are immune

To the laws applied to all of us

We’ll find out very soon

 

They’re killing all the native sons

All those of darker skin

They’ll kill them all before they’re done

They’ll kill them all again

 

The Emirates supplied the weapons

To do their dirty deeds

A bold supply of swords and guns

To kill the Sudanese

 

The world must now decide

If the Emirates have the right

To fund and foment genocide

Beneath a glaring light

 

 

War with Venezuela

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: LATIN AMERICA

 

War with Venezuela

 

We’re preparing for war with Venezuela

On the pretense of Narco Terror

Like the Russians invading Australia

The debt belongs to the bearer

 

What fool dreamed up this adventure?

Bush’s folly was not enough

Is this how the man derives pleasure?

By proving he’s bold and tough

 

Just as Putin did in Ukraine

The US will go it alone

An invasion that drags on in vain

An occupation in the American zone

 

Turn back before it’s too late

Like Bush you will stumble and lose

You wanted to show yourself great

Instead you will pay your dues

 

Like Nam, Iraq and Afghanistan

You’ll go down in a flurry of flames

Just another imperialist plan

That forever degrades our name

 

Let’s pretend you’re still a peacemaker

Let’s pretend you don’t want war

You’re a giver not a taker

You can find the other shore

 

Connolly Wins in Ireland!

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WORLD DEMOCRACY

 

Connolly Wins!

 

The Irish have elected a president

In a landslide of the electorate

She gives her promise to represent

Even those who did not expect it

 

The barrister once of Galway

Has risen through the ranks

Long and hard she worked for this day

And to all she gives her thanks

 

She believes in a social civility

To guide her stay in power

A broad principle of inclusivity

Bringing down the ivory tower

 

All the Irish may not agree

But she is sworn to hear the call

Of the poor over merchants of greed

To serve the many if not the all

 

May Ireland rise to the stars

In the kindness for which she’s esteemed

May we embrace you for who you are

A fulfillment of the Irish dream

 

* Catherine Connolly, Independent

 

 

Rio in Red

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: BRAZIL

 

Rio in Red

 

A Brazilian flag is stained in red

After Rio’s deadly raid

Hundreds of bodies lying dead

All hope begins to fade

 

The favelas are in mourning

So many people dead

It came without a warning

Leaving only fear and dread

 

Who ordered this abomination?

This massacre of men

Was it meant to cause sensation?

Are they prepared to do it again?

 

Castro ordered the slaughter

The governor of the state

The people were cannon fodder

They met a gruesome fate

 

He accused them of narco terror

An accusation that covers all

No trials. What could be fairer?

Line em up against the wall

 

Is this the way of the world now?

Justice belongs to the strong

We do not ask why or how

We know in our hearts it’s wrong

 

 

The Illusionist

 RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: TRUMP DAZE

 

The Illusionist

 

He creates a stunning façade

All that glitters is not gold

He perceives himself a god

His magic sparkling and bold

 

He vanquished part of the White House

Gone in rubble and dust

He will stage a spectacular roust

Shazam! There goes all trust!

 

But the Gaza destruction goes on

The wars he stopped were never there

Putin still strings him along

And the markets are chasing the bear

 

He instigates violence in the cities

He creates an illusion of order

The illusion is quick and pretty

He should use it on the southern border

 

He pretends that everything’s grand

He celebrates before it’s done

Have a party, strike up the band

Once again the king has won

 

But all he’s done is not real

He just spins his webs of illusion

A toss of the great spinning wheel

When he’s done there’s mass confusion

 

The War Must End

RANDOM JACK POETRY HOUR: WAR

 

The War Must End

 

The people of Gaza are tired of war

The Israeli people must bend

Let the waves of hatred be no more

It is time for the war to end

 

The Russian people have had their fill

Too long the Ukrainians defend

Their leaders must swallow a bitter pill

It is time for the war to end

 

Yet Putin will never give up the fight

As long as his pride depends

As long as the people believe he’s right

This war will never end

 

The Israelis will bomb to the end of days

As long as there’s money to spend

Their destructive might is on display

And the war will never end

 

When the Russian people are ready for peace

This message they will send

Putin’s vengeance must finally cease

It’s time for the war to end

 

When the Israeli people are ready for peace

This message they will send

Netanyahu’s war must finally cease

It is time for the war to end

 

As long as vengeance rules the day

The wounds of war will not mend

Subversion will always find a way

And the wars will never end