United States

Energy Crisis

I couldn’t watch.

I wouldn’t watch.

Governance

is not 

a debate.

Yet our 

tradition 

of performance

of endurance

to provide 

assurance

is the substance

we use

to  choose

the POTUS.

By all 

mounting

accounting

in real

time

and thereafter,

I glimpsed

the sad

theater

of our absurd

election.

A weak-

voiced

Joe

seeming

slow

against

each

blow

no matter

how false

the statement,

was a statement

of fitness

to those

who witnessed

what should

never

have taken

place.

Sad 

to say

that the

job

at bay

is partially

appearance.

The grievance

guy

with

each lie

conveys

energy.

He may 

be cruel

but his

fuel

is addictive

despite

being

convicted

so far,

34 times.

We are

addicted

to energy

at all

costs.

But

thoughts

of being

slow,

embodied

by Joe,

are dreadful.

Last century’s

model

seems

on the way

out,

as autocrats

plow through.

But 

dictators

playing

orators

is also 

old

while selling

retold

as something

new—

or at least,

something

strong.

A power

fueled

by desperation

supported

by

exasperation,

cannot

trump

our democracy.

This is crazy.

Alternative

energy

seems necessary

now

more than

ever,

while

voters

still

have power.

Heat Wave

Desantis

cut

all grants

for arts

in Florida.

This is not

merely

the display

of Tom Delay

opposing

a nude

sculpture.

This is culture

war 

gone

nuclear.

Aside

from 

refuge

from the deluge

of the monstrosity

of absurd 

political

verbosity,

the arts

engage 

with less savage

rage

and elevate

hearts

and minds.

Thinking

critically

is critically

necessary,

and increasingly

lacking

in society.

Not merely

criticizing

the opposing

position,

but juxtaposing

division

for consideration

is the job

of the thoughtful

democratic

citizen.

Of course

arts 

are 

not exclusive

to democratic,

inclusive

societies.

All cultures

create

culturally 

great

works,

that work

to showcase

impressions,

expressions,

confessions,

obsessions

beyond

politics

or religion,

or economics

or any statistics.

Art 

is part

of being

human,

if only

to be

appreciated.

No reason

was given

as to what

had driven

Desantis

to defund

grants

for arts

across

the great

state

of Florida.

How about 

opera

in Tampa?

Or the Miami

City

Ballet?

Or the New

Word Symphony

or every gallery

from Tallahassee 

to The Keys?

More importantly,

these sacred

places 

not

for profit

benefit

the public—

educating,

celebrating,

debating,

and creating

connections

anew.

He won’t

undo

what he 

threatens

to,

despite

his defunding

veto.

It’s abundantly

clear

he’s sincere

about 

being a

rage 

machine.

He won’t

be outdone

by anyone

except

by himself.

Should

we be 

outraged

or disengaged?

Which

would be

most effective

against

the invective

and incentive

to be incensed

by the lack

of sense

and every 

pretense

and policy

to lash

back

against

culture

and history

since 1960?

Adding fuel

and heat

to compete

for VEEP

may be

a steep

conquest,

but my best

guess

is that

this wave

won’t 

save

him.

Heat

waves

have begun

not just

in the Sunshine

State. 

The first 

debate

will ignite

the fight

that will

get overheated

as MAGA

acolytes

on the right

like to 

make waves

and heat

things up.

The boiling

point

is the point;

to foil

any opposition

even if

the position

is to defund

all arts.

Don’t let

the heated

rhetoric

and waves

of crazy

keep you

lazy.

Support

the arts.

Buy and read

banned books.

Help women

access care

as needed.

Ignore the 

debate.

Help create

access

and accountability.

It’s your responsibility

in this 

heat wave.

Separation Anxiety

Wait…

Are we

breaking

up?

or down?

I thought

you taught

me 

everything

I knew

without

knowing.

I threw

myself

into 

you,

believing

the conceiving

was a

how-to

create

fulfilling

life.

Strife 

is inevitable,

but this

is incredible

in the worst

way.

Our 

ancestors

split

into the pit

of war

and tore

themselves

apart.

The scars

inflamed

but were

tamed

until

recently.

The cult 

of personality

of indecency

is claiming

it’s all 

about

policy.

You want

to be

free 

from 

Me?

You,

who insist

on Christ

first

as a

gun toting

misogynist

and homophobe

in a judge’s

robe,

without

limit

to prohibit

that which

you deem

oppressive.

You

are

overtaxed?

It’s impressive

how simple

minded

people

like

to be

told

day and night

that they

are right

to be

aggrieved

and wanting

to be

free.

A civil 

war?

A cold

war?

A revolution?

It feels

like dissolution

of the evolution

of what could

be 

a better

future;

a more

perfect

union.

I see

the enemy

of the good.

We should

be able

to reconcile,

but the infantile

bile

has been

weaponized

to legitimize

some fantasized

perversion,

while an infantilized

conversion

has materialized

before

my eyes. 

I’m still surprised

by this uprising,

making

it seem

like our thing

was a long

fling.

But truth

is enduring

despite

luring

attempts

to 

undo

US.

We have

much

work

to do;

not just

to protect

and defend,

but mend.

I can’t 

pretend

it’s just

one

election

to be

won.

But it 

could be

the last

of the past

248 years.

Border Crossings

Imagine 

a climate

scientist

as president

who is

a woman

and is

Jewish.

Mexico,

you know….

the place

that sends

its worst

first

across

our border

in order

to rape

and murder

before 

taking

all 

the beautiful

jobs here

nobody

here

wants,

has elected

a she/her

who practices

science

and governance

more than

religious 

observance.

We 

have done

none

of the above.

We are

exceptional

in our

deception

of greatness

again

and again

as we profess

with success

a succession

of limited

qualities.

No question

the exception

of America

has been

our freedom,

once 

unparalleled

and profound.

But the grave

wave

of regression

in freedom’s

name

feels 

insane,

not to mention

the election

that has 

2 very old

white men

running

again

and again.

The possibility

of American

democracy

has never 

been more

clear.

And yet

Mexico’s

new president

is a precedent

we have not

yet set. 

In fact,

we are

the exception—

the odd one—

with the highest

glass ceiling.

It’s revealing.

An anti-

science,

anti-

climate change,

anti-

woman,

anti-

Semitic

sizable

demographic

is anti-

democratic

in this country

that gave

the world

democracy.

It’s crazy.

And will

ultimately

be 

an uncomfortable

chapter

of our

history;

not merely

a record

of what 

was,

but 

of what

could be

again.

Family Ties

The red

ties

were read

as ties

to the defendant,

attendent

to his messaging

and cause:

to bend

the laws,

(if not,

just 

ignore them).

The red

states,

“I’m with 

him”.

We’re

tied to

each other,

like brothers

from another

mother.

That long

red tie,

so iconic

and symbolic

of fiery

loyalty

to wanna-be

royalty,

is the sartorial

symbol

of The Bully.

The refrain

they maintain

is the stain

on the judge

for his daughter’s

occupation.

A conflict of 

interest

is interesting,

except

when 

the spouse

of a justice

had a sign

at their house

that read

“Stop the Steal”.

Or the spouse

of another

one

on 

the high court

resorted

to texting

the Chief

of Staff

on behalf

of the president’s

grift

on the 6th

of January, 

2021.

The separation

of powers

of family

is tricky.

But separating 

families

is kind of

on brand

for the head

of that family 

business.

While his

kin

are not

seen,

the scene

at the courthouse

from members

of The House

auditioning

for Veep

has them

petitioning

against

family ties 

creating

an unfair

trial.

An error

apparent

criticizing 

the parent

who is,

in this case,

the judge,

is the predictable

flipped

script

of the hypocrite,

projected

by the guys

in the long

read

ties.

Making Ago of It

MAGA

became

a party

to insanity

with no

real

vision,

just 

division.

The sense

of impending

ending

of what 

we treasure

is the measure

by which

we react.

Humanity’s

mortality

(and certainly

Democracy’s)

is what we

tend

to see.

At least

let’s not

go further

but add

some fervor

to be the

preserver

of this

life

now.

The party’s

over

so let’s 

stand

our ground

into the ground

this time

around.

Screw

decorum—

a forum

for repression.

Bring

obsession

and regression

to the fore

and the floor

of our House.

Hats off

to 46,

who wants

to fix

so much

that is broken.

The Center

of Gravity

has normalized

depravity,

self serving

and unnerving.

Calling themselves

Conservative

is interpretive

at best.

Suggesting

Great

while exhibiting

hate

is actually

reflecting

our past.

We’re better

off

and on 

a path

forward,

certainly

since

COVID.

But what

we thought

was outmoded

has a devoted

following.

Wallowing

in grievance

and demanding

allegiance

will not

forward

us.

Looking toward

what was

is blurry,

leaving out

the worst

and worry.

But many

feel 

more confident

in the current

fever dream.

The wish 

of 4 years

ago

is merely 

to hold

on.

Making

America

Great

Again,

as though

it’s something

we only

know

from long

ago,

is oh so

hollow.

Track and Field

I track

my body’s

expenditures–

tallying

steps,

REM,

and deep

sleep.

My  convenient

device

provides

advice

to keep 

me resilient.

Physically,

it’s working;

I’m doing

better 

than expected.

But my

field

of vision

is narrowing,

as the harrowing

crises 

overwhelm these

data points.

In order 

to prevent

sleeplessness

and foster

resilience,

I need 

to care

less.

But I can’t.

We need 

to engage

in ways

that are 

interactive

and creative;

that address

the mess

from fossil

fuels

and plastic.

Truly drastic

measures

require

forgoing

pleasures

to which 

we have

become

accustomed.

Losing

trust,

witnessing

those 

intended

to see a

democracy

upended

is exhausting

to track.

And depressing.

The alienation

in this nation

is in part

caused by

a conflation

of news 

and entertainment

—infotainment—

and cruelty

so that duality,

not plurality,

is insisted

upon.

We are lost,

and the cost

is literally

killing

the country

(and others)

and the planet. 

Helplessness,

more than 

sleeplessness,

is the urgent

and important

crisis to meet.

As we track

our daily

routines,

we are 

far

afield

from living

from what

we’ve been

given.

We have 

retreated

to repeated

tasks

when what

is actually

asked

of us

is to heal

each other

and our

environment.

Liberty Mutual

Liberty

is a statue

commemorating

a virtue

welcoming

into our harbor,

absent

on the southern

border.

Insecure

from escapees

and refugees

seeking

asylum

after 

an insanely

difficult

trek

under stars

and the blazing

sun,

overwhelming

our broken

system,

we no longer

talk of liberty

or freedom

from dangerous

or injurious

conditions

except 

in Gaza

despite 

Hamas.

The explosive,

corrosive,

divisions

pushing

boundaries

at the borders

within several 

democracies,

while atrocities

unrelenting,

remind me

that 

Lady Liberty

is a statue

from long

ago.

Our experiment

in liberty

has always had

an element

of hypocrisy,

sometimes forgetting

responsibility

and accountability

to others

that accompanies

her.

Don’t tread

on me:

it’s my liberty

for me

to be as free

as can be

unless

I’m powerless,

which often

means

without means.

(or a woman,

or person of 

color;

or queer

or any other

minority

denied

liberty

because

it’s been

historically

otherwise

until

recently.)

But history

is being

written

anew 

with old

conventions

and oppressions.

It’s as though

some want

liberty

to be an old

statue.

They will 

demand

what

they please

ignoring pleas

that counter

their own

misperceived

threats

or preferences.

Their defenses

of god 

and liberty

(and possibly 

immunity)

are sculptures

of a culture

long dominant.

But liberty

stands

alone,

prominent,

as a definer

of human

beings.

Despite 

Putin’s

war 

to dominate

Ukraine,

the sane

understand

the demand

that liberty

is not merely

a statue,

but an evolution

itself

of self

and other

reckoning

from the beckoning

of the torch.

Elder Care

Some don’t 

care

about one

candidate’s

age

or

gaffes

or (potential?)

crimes,

because:

demeanor.

The meaner,

the better;

such

a go

getter.

His vim

and vigor

and ability

to trigger

libs

is his

super 

power,

despite

his dour

countenance

and incompetence

at everything

but delaying.

He’s playing

the game

to win

at all 

costs,

which,

as of now,

costs him

about a half

a billion

dollars

plus interest

each day

he doesn’t

pay.

“So what?”,

they say,

“He’s here

to stay”,

because

he’s the

Mr Fixit.

But if

the fix

is in

unless he

wins…

oh there is

no

logic

to the diabolic

hyperbolic

sclerotic

neurotic

chronic

liminal

criminal

chief

cheat,

other than

to serve

himself.

And the slow

moving

Joe

is suffering

from low

approval

ratings

despite 

succesful

governance.

But media

presence

presents

a problem

for the elder

statesman.

Looking

frail

on the campaign

trail

is worse

than the prospect

of going

to jail

in our current

democrazy.

Will stopping

Biden

be easier

than stopping

Trump 

from running?

This could 

be stunning.

Write

to your 

pols

regardless 

of polls

and tell

them how

much

you care.

A democracy

is not 

a one man

capability.

We are much 

more

than this

sore

spot

of old

white

guys

clinging.

Never Mind?

Lemme just say

that one 

should pay

one’s bills.

The latest

threat

to NATO,

though,

we can’t ignore

as a sure

bet

to upset

yet

again 

the anti

MAGA

as the saga

continues.

The irony,

as Andy

Borowitz

reminds us.

is that

the guy

who never

pays 

his bills

somehow 

instills

a sanction:

a sort of

permission

for Putin’s

aggression

and obsession

with expansion.

Trump

is playing

quarterback,

wanting his

own

Super Bowl

back;

treating this

as the halftime

show

Ushering

in 

the third

quarter

after ordering

House

Repubs’

ignoring

the border

deal

that could

have helped

our immigration

situation,

and also

Biden.

And who 

could forget

Hur’s hurling

insult

at the aging-

before –

our-eyes

POTUS,

who 

side steps

stepping aside.

Designed

to undermine

Biden’s

candidacy,

Hur’s report

tends

to distort

his role.

Now 

what’s on

everyone’s

mind:

Who’s

mind

is more

demented?

The tormented

one 

who foments

aggression

and hate

with a spate

of indictments

and trial dates?

Or the decidedly

decent,

accomplished

statesman

whose

lack

of alacrity

walking to

pressers

has had no

bearing

on his

ability

to engage

in serious

matters

at home

and abroad

with some

of the greatest

successes

despite

what impresses

the minds

of voters

most.

It used

to be

“It’s the economy,

Stupid!”

Now,

it’s just 

stupid.

And we can’t

never

mind.