Enemies unite

when faced with a common foe.

Gravestones righted; bigots fall.

~

Humanity shared

rights wrongs perpetuated

by all bigots everywhere.

How does a nation,

cowering behind its walls,

differ from a prisoner?

~

Such a nation is

truly a prisoner of

its own making.

Do walls keep all that’s

new out so that the old can

pretend nothing’s changed?

~

They build parapets

so they can deny their fear

of open societies.

If he’s too afraid

to buy a cup of coffee,

how’s this the land of the free?

~

We must not forget

our immigrant ancestors

came here to thrive and be free.

When governing proves

hard, is turning to twitter

and golf the best he can do?

~

He’ll just double down,

like he has so many times.

Time to call his bluff.

What can parents do

when children don’t do homework

and teachers begin to gripe?

~

I guess you begin

with who’s the grown-up in the

room and go from there.

Leap before you look

seems to be our president’s

momentous reframe.

~

Why should he bother;

with his golden parachute

and silver boot in his mouth?

When the strikers struck

and no one seemed to notice,

what will be freedom’s next move?

~

We must wait and see.

Freedom’s work is incomplete

but its workers do not rest.

When improvements don’t

improve and enhancements don’t

enhance, what are we up to?

~

Perhaps replacements

will replace when enticements

fail to entice change agents.

Ignorant actors

fumble across the world stage

resembling circus clowns…

~

On our own small stage

may we perform wise acts of

kindness, reason, and constraint.

In difficult times,

how is it that some folks

are still able to find joy?

~

Schadenfreude works

but at a steep moral price;

better to seek other ways.

On this day of love,

Can we hope to find some peace

from this angry vitriol?

~

We must not only

hope, we must do all we can

to bring peace into being.

Can we find peaceful

solutions when our hearts

and minds are at war?

~

If we drop our guard

in the face of tyranny 

we’ll find the peace of the grave.

Comet and eclipse:

are these dire auguries

inscribed upon the heavens?

~

We read into things

heavenly what often lies

within our own souls.

What is this hot air

that blows across our nation,

stifling our every breath?

~

Perhaps it’s because

Presidential odium

is causing global warming.

“Separate but Equal”,

more than just a catchy phrase;

how could they have forgotten?

~

The problem is those

who push that phrase have never

forgotten their ill intent.

Is what we’re seeing

civilization’s fall or

the privileged’s last gasp?

~

Privilege may survive

when the revolution comes,

but many will surely fall.

When a liar says

the media lies instead,

will fools trust their hearts or heads?

~

Fools trust neither hearts

nor heads. They place their trust in

those who lie instead.

What helps us see the

common humanity of

those with whom we disagree?

~

It’s easy to see

another’s humanity

if we share reality.

Why should we truckle

before the irrational

bluster of a narcissist?

~

It would be best to

 stand by our deep values and

keep an open heart. 

Sometimes “Follow the

Leader” can take a nation

right over the cliff.

~

Following leaders

will never lead you astray;

just don’t follow this lemming.

Must we daily wait

in dreadful fascination

for his next vile dictum?

~

Let’s turn our sights toward

those who are profiles in

courage and reason instead.

When we justify

the unjustifiable

what have we become?

~

Tools of the machine?

Unwitting accomplices?

Lamb’s being led to slaughter?

Thus it is revealed,

the consequence of honor,

in a soulless madman’s world.

~

It’s better to be

banished from such a world than

to fuse with its soullessness.