Culture and Politics

Raging Bull

He sees red.

Pierced

by several swords

as he bleeds

and huffs,

he charges forth.

Is it really

a contest,

or mostly

spectacle?

They yell

for the raging

bull.

They too

insist they

are wounded

by elites

who woke

to oppress

them.

Ban books!

It’s parental

choice

(of a few).

No black

or gender

studies.

Oh GOD—

nothing queer!

No (parental) 

choice for

the pregnant.

The faux injured,

furious,

and dangerous

mercenaries

are willing

and eager

to disrupt,

disregard,

distort,

and deny

any perceived

threat

to their

dominance.

The raging

bull

posted

daily on

social media

may soon

become

witness or jury

tampering.

But the bull

rages on

and the crowd

loves it.

They think

he’ll care

about them

so they 

care about

him.

Senator Mitch,

the raging bull’s

bitch,

is clearly ailing

in public.

How 

terribly sad

to watch

him frozen

while the one

chosen

to lead

the party

rages 

incessantly

as the victim.

Meanwhile,

the money

flows toward

him

to pay

his defense

for 91

felony charges.

It’s hard

to know

who actually

believes

the bull

or when 

he (and they)

will finally

collapse. 

Sew What?

I think these times

are tailor-made

for the aptly named

one

who trumps up

plots

and  projections

compulsively;

skirting

accountability

while

harnessing

power 

and money—

so much

money—

to pay 

his legal bills

or not.

Lying about

sexual assault,

his taxes,

his wealth,

size/amounts

of anything

and everything,

COVID 19,

election loss,

dead voters,

machines,

insurrection,

electors,

endless 

nonsense

without

hemming

and hawing,

constantly 

reinforced

by 

the worst.

Now becoming

hemmed in

by 4 indictments

on numerous

counts,

he pretends

to be

the victim

of a conspiracy

of the deep

state,

whatever

that 

is.

The fringe

seems

fringier

but 

not

frayed;

poised

to enter

the fray

when

summoned.

But fewer

magas

have shown

up

since

justice

started

reigning

down on

the criminal

ones.

Meanwhile,

he has

all but

sewn up

the party’s

nomination

to be 

safeguarded

from prison,

except….

GEORGIA,

as he might

type.

So what

happens as

this  unfolds?

Will he

come apart

at the seams?

Will the fabric

of our 

democracy

be altered

to better fit

an altered

culture

and politics

that seemed

unthinkable,

but has been

unraveling

for decades?

Say Cheese

New revelations

of an old 

memo

explaining fake

electors

as a tactic

to delay

and confuse

and 

I’m not really

sure

what else

because its author,

the other Ken bro,

Chesebro,

admits

the legality

is dubious,

at best.

He acknowledges

it is

unlikely

to persuade

the Supreme

Court

to overturn

the (2020)

election,

but…

whatever….

let’s try it!

The thickening

plot,

for a time 

thinly veiled,

is visible

(and audible)

and reeks

of criminality

and conspiracy.

Meanwhile,

The Sacrificial

Ham

figured out 

his campaign

theme:

“I’m being indicted

for you.”

It’s the stuff

of TV

that you can’t

unsee,

and he

will surely

up the ante.

The anti-tv

folks suggest,

that televising

the trial(s)

will endanger

those 

in the courtroom:

witnesses,

jurors,

lawyers and judge(s).

But so many

people want

to see 

transparency.

I thought I wanted

the trial

broadcast,

because I thought

it would 

show

truth,

like January

6th,

and the congressional

hearings.

Ha!

Will justice

be served

when they 

say

cheese

for the cameras?

The Jaws of AI

Doo-doot

doo-doot

doo-doot

doo-doot….

the two note

tune

of impending

doom…

a beast

beneath,

hungry

to devour

maybe 

us.

The music

cues 

the menacing

danger

awaiting,

alerting us

to change

course. 

We fear

an attack

and fear

we may 

be helpless.

Artificial Intelligence

is everywhere

invisible

and manifest.

Now everyone

is chatting

with 

and about

ChatGPT,

or at least 

hears

the doo-doot

doo-doot

doo-doot

theme

with each

article,

post,

and soundbite.

Meanwhile

the new

Know Nothings

turn it up

to 11

knowing

that the more

the lies

are said,

the more difficult

it gets

to put them

to bed. 

Insisting on 

nonsense

makes sense

when people

abide

and vote.

The real

intelligence

is in exploiting

the fact

of people

needing

to feel

right

more 

than anything

else. 

People 

will do 

anything

to relieve

anxiety.

Fear of prison?

Run for POTUS.

Craving more

power?

Consolidate

support.

Tell them

what 

they want

to hear.

Drill

Baby

Drill.

As 

a matter

of fact,

facts don’t

matter.

(Except that they do.)

Artificial

Intelligence

may amass

information,

but still

we need

the truth.

Bobby Jr

may be 

ill.

I don’t know.

Like Ye,

he has aligned

himself

with fear,

hate,

myth,

and danger,

pretending

to have

“researched”.

Once regarded

as gifted

and brilliant,

now elevating

the worst

of human

thinking,

while

the Very

Stable

Genius

is consolidating

the power

of the

POTUS

to stay

free and rich.

It’s really

simple—

and maybe 

smart,

but it’s

going 

to bite

us 

and 

we will

bleed. 

Part Time

This is the part

when the deep

state of things

associated

with disruption,

corruption,

and threats 

of violence,

lies 

at the heart

of the party

gunning

for power 

at any cost.

Lies 

are spun 

with projecting

behaviors

and controls

on the other.

This time

feels scarier.

We always 

think that.

If the 20th

Century

was 

The American

Century,

punctuated

by wars

each decade,

the 21st 

Century

is the 

Anti-American

Century

punctuated 

by terrorism

and self

destruction

between 

global

crises

shutting us

down

each decade

until we

shudder

constantly.

The trauma

is here

at home

this time.

We watched

the parting

of the sees-

those who see

Anti-Dems

as the prize

and those

who see

Democracy–

once prized–

at stake.

Seeking 

to reawaken

through

Anti-Woke

speech,

the put-to bed

theories 

of Nazis,

Fascists,

“States Rights”,

and women’s health

no longer 

their’s,

are imposed

among numerous

other outrageous

bans and acts .

We thought

time

had played

its part

revealing

a singular

direction

toward

freedom

with liberty

and justice

for all.

But this part

of our story 

is new.

This time,

a POTUS

could be

convicted

and elected.

He would not

be able

to vote

while serving

time

imprisoned.

And then 

there’s

the part

about 

a pardon.

Time

to do

your part!

Whine and Cheese

We have come to expect

Elections 

As traditions

Despite each one

More existentially

Significant

Than ever.

We know 

The show

Must go

On

And on and on

So money

Can roll

The dicey

Game of politics

That is performance

Without art.

It’s a total 

Drag,

(And that’s

Not allowed

Anymore

In some places),

Watching candidates

Dress up 

And exaggerate,

Mugging

For cameras

At cheesy events,

Whining about

Who’s

Destroying us

And how

The stakes

Have never

Been higher.

Do voters want

The Cheese Wiz?

Not just the ersatz 

Savory goo topping,

But a master of faux

Sentiment?

Or the whining

About witch hunts

And hoaxes?

The Deep State

Pedophiles

And Alien

Invaders

Across 

The boarder?

As candidacies

Launched,

Horrible Haze

Enveloped

Much of the 

Country.

Toxic air

Emanated from

Canadian fires,

A result of dry 

Earth, 

A result of

Climate Change. 

Our political

Climate has

Changed 

Profoundly

While the same

Whine and Cheese

Is served

As though

They will persuade

Or reassure

Donors 

If not

Voters

That politics

Ages well

Like

Whine

And cheese. 

Scream Too

Why didn’t you scream?

(Subtext: 

If you were really

Raped,

You would have

Screamed.)

For help…

From Pain…

It’s 2023

I want 

To scream,

At the persistence

Of the insistence

Of blaming

Actual

Victims

While Claiming

To be the one

Attacked.

Of all the ways

To cross

Examine,

Why didn’t you scream?

Exposes the truth:

Not everyone is

A screamer.

I want 

To scream too

When the dignity

Of human

Life

Is ascribed to

A fetus

And not to

The woman

Or girl

Who is pregnant.

Ignoring

Medical realities,

Much less care

For women and girls

Or really anyone

After being born,

Is inhumane.

The guy 

Who just 

Walks up to

Women 

After a tic tac

And kisses

Them,

And says

He justs

Grabs them

By the pussy,

Probably did

Not have

A traumatic 

Experience 

That defined

The rest of

Life

From that

Time in

The dressing 

Room.

Women’s experiences

Have too long

Been silenced

Or taught

To be silent.

The courageous

Women

Who 

This week

Stepped forward

Not to scream

But to tell

Of the inhumanity

Of being denied

Speaks volumes

About those who

Minimize what women

And girls continue

To endure,

And ensure

That women

And girls

Have little to no

Say.

Why don’t

We scream!

Off Spring

This Spring feels way, way off.


Weather aside, 

this season of renewal 

has been one 

of oppression,

even for what has been

a years-long pattern.

The blooming of authoritarianism

and the reemergence

of overt and repressive

racism and misogyny

seems to have started

with the former

guy.

But of course, 

we know,

that like Fox,

the crazy

needs the audience.

And the audience

has been around

for a long time.

The former guy

became known for

Birtherism,

spreading lies 

for the sake

of stirring up

not merely

opposition,

but

racism

and all manners of hate,

against 

President Barak Obama. 

Trump didn’t invent

Birtherism. 

He saturated the media

with false claims

and false questions.

He wanted to be

the guy 

who wrestled

in the ring 

of public discourse,

coarsening 

the conversations

for everyone.

And this birthed

a candidate

which birthed 

a movement 

front and center

of grievance,

lies, oppression,

even violence,

while raising money

and hoarding

and never-ending

shamelessness

(and crimes)

upending 

and threatening

until….

This climate change

has already devastated,

and the pandemic virus

of authoritarianism

is spreading

around the globe. 

Forget 

RINOs,

now there are 

dinos—

democracies

in name

only.

Well, we see

crocuses of justice

beginning to blossom,

but fear

an off-season

frost

may impede 

healthy blooms

of justice

(despite Thomas, et al).

We thought

a Garland

would braid so much

evidence together

after Trump was

leaving such

an obvious mess,

but the pathetic

and yet 

successful

power grabs 

and conspicuous

cruelty 

and despotism

from every level

of government

flagrantly unleashed

upon the 

innocent,

makes me want

to stay

in the fetal position.

But birth

takes labor.

A LOT of labor.

And pushing.

This Spring

feels off, 

and I want

more than 

a break.

The push

toward justice

and accountability

will require

our insistence,

not merely 

watching or

scrolling

news with nausea.

Do something

to let your reps

know that

American democracy,

racism,

misogyny,

violence,

gun safety,

healthcare

(especially for women),

ethics,

justice,

and more,

matter.

This is Spring

training. 

It’s past

time

to get in the game.

Dusting With Pledge

The  Promised Land

is  broken

beyond recognition

except

to those who broke it. 

The Land of Opportunity

and Promise

is stuck in an

American nightmare

that feels 

Un-American.

Potential

gets thwarted

by  grievance

and History’s

scar tissue

that  causes

pain cycles

inflicting

injury  again

and again.

Human nature

spirals,

spinning,

repeatedly;

twisting

ourselves

in retrograde motions

trying to make 

progress

that feels like

power. 

Promises 

will always

yield

consequences,

intended or  not. 

Abusers know

that  we’re suckers

for promises;

that  intentions

are spoken

or tweeted

like incantations.

Words

create possibilities.

not probabilities,

and we tend

to forget

that words

require

meeting with

reality.

We seek 

promise

and promises.

And  we 

demand 

consequences

when we

become 

broken.

Then the dust

will settle

for a bit.

I promise.

Speak Easy

Watching a period piece,

a drama, set in 1932,

I was oriented in time 

through 

the clothes

the interiors

the accessories

the flasks

the verbiage

the hair

the cars

the phones

the shoes—

every detail that signified

when.

In an era of prohibition,

desires were still satisfied

for the still affluent

and able

class.

Those with means

could frequent

hidden spaces

of freedom;

quarters where spirits

flowed into crystal goblets

and flasks

to hide 

in the outside

world;

jazz inviting

dancing,

in smoke-filled

congested rooms,

where people

could speak

easy

and revel freely

for some hours,

not having to face

profound inequality

or differences

or problems.

Prohibition, 

from 1920-1933,

didn’t curb

behavior

or health.

It invited

crime

and 

stealth.

In 2023,

it should not be

so difficult

to speak

easily 

without prohibition

and

with nuance;

But first we

have to speak

and hear

the truth.