What Can One Man Do?

13 Replies

What Can One Man Do?

I’m feeling sort of creepy. I’m feeling sort of weird.
Everything is happening as I’ve always feared.
Each heroic patriot is spinning in his grave
observing how politicos are choosing to behave.
Opportunists rule the day. Liberty is dying.
If our founding fathers saw ,it would be grounds for crying.

Rights of free assembly are brutally curtailed
by countless senseless massacres, no sooner one man jailed
than another slaughter comes across our screen.
When did our land of immigrants turn so crass and mean?
What god puts kids in cages, rips a mother from her baby?
What scripture teaches brotherhood tempered with a maybe? 

One hundred thirty million of her native sons
slaughtered by our founders is how the west was won.
Our history books rewritten by a kinder pen
Mass lynchings in Arkansas? A secret way back when
history was written. Only now we know the shame.
Even at our founding, “more profit” was to blame.

If we are tired of hearing of greed and violence,
perhaps its time that more of us climbed down from the fence
and let communal voices be heard above the din
of Game of Thrones and other dream worlds we live in.
These films of gore and violence with which we are suffused
make us numb to how real people are abused.

We must take off our blinders and see the truth at last.
It’s time to break these heartless molds in which we have been cast.
Speak with your pen. Bring change about by changing those in power.
Do not turn to fantasy. Do not cringe and cower
in your homes for fear of guns. Ban assault guns for a start.
Show that real Americans have a kinder heart.

Cut our country’s cancer from where it’s gone to fester.
Remove our gallery of fools, starting with its jester.
Each one who sits upon his chair thinking his votes don’t count
votes to keep the status quo. One after one, they mount
a ship of fools who think that politicians are the same—
that refusing to make choices makes them without blame.

So thought the men who saw the tree with bodies hanging slack
and overlooked injustice because the men were black.
If your God is one of mercy, does he not view all?
Does he not see even the smallest sparrow fall?
Would he sanction kids in cages, mother ripped from baby?
Does the God who loves us all temper justice with “maybe?”

What can we do about it? Take up pen and make a check.
Vote out the opportunists. Seize injustice by the neck.
Protect our dying planet. Seize our final chance.
Don’t think that fate is ruled by impartial circumstance.
Looking for a solution for what one man can do?
Take pen in hand. The answer, my friend, is simply you!

Prompts for the day are weird, creepy, and memorialize.

13 thoughts on “What Can One Man Do?”

    1. slmret's avatarslmret

      Mine come from Kamala Harris at least daily, sometimes twice! I have written back suggesting that I will donate when there is a clear candidate, but that it’s too early to make my choice.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓
  3. ivonprefontaine's avatarivonprefontaine

    I think each person is capable of making the world a better place with each kind word, a helping hand, each little act to pick up something, etc. If we multiply each word and act by millions what a change would come about.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply ↓
  4. slmret's avatarslmret

    It was announced today that there are now more registered Democrats in Orange County than Republicans. Unfortunately, the “declined to state” voters are also increasing at about the same rate as the Dems, but it’s a great sign in a long time conservative county! Now to get the new voters to the polls!

    Like

    Reply ↓
  6. Marilyn Armstrong's avatarMarilyn Armstrong

    Much of our history was built on lies and many of our founding fathers were far from flawless. I think we need to take responsibility for how we came to exist as a nation, how we took over a land that was NOT ours to take and then calling them savages, became the savages who killed them. We have a lot to atone for.

    Like

    Reply ↓

Leave a comment