Very unsettling to see
truth and lies woven into the same strand
Hypnotized by strong need to believe
when obviously on shaky ground
Being right at all cost
closes eyes to see what went down
Feeling all is lost
Settling into the quicksand around
Truth and lies come in many forms
People believe what they want to hear
Everyone takes their stand
as truth and lies are woven into the same strand
***
Painting – Dwight L. Roth
Lillian’s Happiness Project prompt, today at d’Verse, reminded me of the song we sang as kids: “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands…” “…stomp your feet” “…say AMEN!” It is amazing how may people get stressed out from things they have no control over. Tomorrow is election day in the US. If you watched all the ads on TV it is no wonder you are depressed and stressed. We can only control how we respond to life. What will you do to make tomorrow better, no matter who wins?
Don’t let tomorrow’s election steal your happiness
There is much more to life than a political agenda
Live life as you always have bringing joy to everyone
Help a neighbor… Call a friend… Smile
Let you happiness reflect the joy and love within you
**********
Photo: Dwight L. Roth
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I wrote this wild poem four years ago as a response to the upcoming election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The conversations then were not that unlike what is being said now, as many could not imagine that Trump could win the election. As we all know he did win and is now trying once more. Only time will tell. It is amazing how the muck of politics goes on and on and the alligators in the swamp keep getting fatter and fatter.
Riding through the dark night of the soul
Comes a headless horseman on a golden steed
Snorting fire and ashes he rides with great speed
No one can stop the galloping Spector
No Donkey nor Elephant, not Fox nor Hound
No one dare be so bold
As the ghastly night round him grows cold
He defies all those who would slow him down
Many have tried and been left on the ground
Some have screamed and some have yelled
But nothing can stop the apocalyptic wail
Out of the swamp through the fog of night
Rides the horseman of the apocalypse
leaving all in a fright
He comes charging the bridge in full moonlight
Not a myth not a tale nor a short lived wail
Will rise up to challenge with ghastly pale
The pending disaster that rides on his tail
In the morning sun he’ll surely be restricted
It was not true as many souls predicted
He’s here for now and he’ll be for a spell
This wild man with no head has tales to tell
The powers tried to slow him down
In that midnight hour as he rode into town
But the pumpkin wielding warrior
Simply brought scare and horror
To politicians far and wide
Bringing chaos and confusion now all is lost
He won’t stop till that last bridge is crossed
********
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Beware you serfs, sucked in
by superfluous words wrapped in thorns
pricked and pounded by talking heads
offering hot air opinions
floating away,
bursting in mid air
bottle rocket promises full of
spectacular show and nothing more
*
Beware of blunderbuss arrows
pulled from your quiver of bias
shot from tensioned bow pulled
back, bleeding hearts left crying
wounds that never heal, running
blood red, not black, white, or yellow
dreams stained streets crying for hope
futures down times drain,
never coming to fruition
*
Beware you serfs, feeding off crumbs
from the masters table thinking
caviar and filet minion
Promised “a chicken in every pot”
only to find bones and feathers
floating in cesspools of bigotry and hate
destroying the marrow of society
grinding bones of workers
into mortar for castles of gold
*
Beware you serfs when you watch
cherry picking favorite words and lines
feeling like twisted truth is genuine
offering you Wine … but serving Kool-aide
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Today at d’Verse, Lisa asked us to consider the Vatic Voice, the voice of the prophet in our poetry, speaking as though from the voice of God! I decided to try something different for me with a prophetic political rant. Tonight is the first of the Presidential Debates. Never have we had such extreme differences in the candidates. It is easy to simply choose someone who thinks and talks like we do, but there is much more at stake. We are choosing a way of thinking for the future of the country. The two candidates are really irrelevant, in my opinion. We are voting for a philosophy.
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The political debates rage on
Nasty politics as usual
Twists of truth filled with lies;
and we believe…
what we have already set in our minds
But, with every election
there come a Trojan Horse;
One of beauty and promise
captivating the minds of believers;
Promising they are on you side
The Trojan Horse of politics
doesn’t come sculpted in wood or stone;
Rather, ladened with sculpted words
carved and shaped to entice…
Believing there is nothing within them
that would change or harm us
Don’t be swayed by outward words.
Look deep into the sculpted belly
of hidden agendas and dark money;
Into the self-centered soul of the beast (politics)
that in the end will burst open
disillusion // and destroy us all!
I am in the winter of my mind, where shadows creep
and darkness comes early // seeming never to sleep…
closing in and overshadowing my thoughts.
Creativity remains with each bright new day
bringing a spot of sunshine from friends far away
of like minded bloggers and a few online friends.
I must close off the darkness // of “hurricane News”
and “tornadoes of fear” // with darkness infused
leaving my mind destroyed by what I hear.
I’ll go back to my writing and pretend not to see
the streets in upheaval and the mothers who plea
for children caught in the crossfire // each day, it seems.
For truth these days seem more one’s perception
with marching politicians and Covid physicians
and dissent is met with racial accusations.
Photo; Dwight L. Roth
I am sharing this on open link night at d”Verse poets night. With all that has been going on the past five months, I feel a little stir-crazy at times. Seems a lot of others feel the same way from all chaos I see happening across the country, on the evening news. It pains me to see children shot, and no one seems to raise a voice or carry a sign for them. Very sad indeed! These are some of my thoughts as I stay in my cocoon!
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I got my inspiration for this poem today, after reading Lynn’s Poem this morning:
Today at d’Verse, Amaya asked us to take our poetry to taboo places, writing about subjects such as sex politics, religion. I decided to incorporate all three in my poem choice. Thousands of babies are aborted in this country and around the world every year. Some have convinced themselves that it is a woman’s right over her own body to abort the life within her. Yet those same individuals decry the destruction of turtle or eagle nests. Both have become political agendas, and it is now the law that a woman can choose to have or not have her baby growing inside her. I am not sure how we can justify this choice.
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Photo: Wikapedia
Abortion Was the Leading Cause of Death Worldwide in 2019, Killing 42 Million People
*Back in 2008. after the disastrous Bush years of the invasion of Iraq, I and many other Americans were drawn in by Obama’s message of Hope and Change. Although the “Hope and Change” did not turn out the way I had anticipated, watching the crowd who came out to see President elect Obama at Grant park that night, was a very moving experience. Immediately following the victory speech, I was inspired to write this.
Sadly the desire to work together was immediately crushed by Republicans, just the way it has now been with the Democarats with Trump. Division and polarization has brought great harm to the country. The vision I saw happening in Grant Park that election evening seems to have gone up in political smoke!
Tonight at d’Verse we were asked to write a poem that reflects Black History Month. The above is my naive dream that we could all come together to create the Hope and Change our country needed.
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*****
Painting: Dwight L. Roth
Tonight, at d’Verse, Amaya asked us to speak out with our poetic voice regarding the way things are going in our world. All the craziness around us keeps being fed back through the smoke and mirrors of the media, each one giving their slant. My view is we should not be surprised. We all know that “what’s happening is not what’s going on!” Yet we always hope it will be better the next ride around!
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Photo: Dwight L. Roth
