Society

Terror

terror in innocent daycare eyes
terror in insolent teenage lies
terror in all our daily plans
terror in all Americans
terror in parks where children play
terror by night
terror … Read more

Got Your Goat

The 4-H program, Shasta County Fair
has reaped a world of trouble we just read.
A little girl asked them her goat to spare
but no, authorities wanted it dead.… Read more

The Presidency

José Mujica ascended to the presidency
and kept his three-bedroom bungalow
a stone’s throw from Rio De La Plata
in Montevideo gave nearly his entire
presidential salary to charity spent … Read more

American Gothic

after Grant Wood

She sits in her Adirondack chair
on the front porch of a summer afternoon,
overlooking the cutting garden
in her Confederate flag t-shirt
knitting shotgun shells with … Read more

Unpermitted Encroachments

(SF city notice to remove a Little Free Library from a sidewalk)

It’s what they call a feature story,
not mainstream news,
about the little free library,
not a building … Read more

Wokeness

Wokeness is a rising tide,
A force for good, a source of pride.
It seeks to break down barriers,
And lift voices that have been silenced for years.

It’s not … Read more

Homelessness in Denver

 

Amidst the bustling streets, where life moves fast,
There walks a man who’s been living in the past.
With an intimate knowledge of Denver’s roads,
He’s spent eleven years … Read more

Our Ukraine

The war in Ukraine, a tale of pain,
Mobilization, preparations for war again,
Initial engagements, battles fierce,
Crimea taken, hearts filled with tears.

Escalation, the fighting intensifies,
Separatists supported by … Read more

On Take-Offs and Layoffs

The news fuels take-offs – crypto rising, Southwest rebooking,
weapons trading, and lay-offs – alphabets, bladders, and cinemas
trending. The United States Supreme Court claims it’s unable to
identify the … Read more

Always

There’s always someone
that wants to shred the smiles
from our faces as easily
as you can rip this paper.

There’s always someone
that will vote for an all-Republican ticket,… Read more

Carrier of Souls

There is an owl who sits
on the shoulder of every man who takes his guns
into a nightclub, superstore, or anywhere
that life is for the taking.
When the … Read more