Adirondack Chairs

They gather in gaggles
on porches and lawns
some painted green,
pink or sky blue,
some carrying pillows
and standing in rows,
but never seating anyone.

The Perfect President

Many of his critics
call Trump an aberration,
but history suggests
he exactly represents
the American attitude
toward it’s role in the world.
Like America, he refuses
to admit his mistakes
and justifies his greed
by claiming American
exceptionalism.

Naming the Enemy

Each time we declare war on another culture,
we coin dehumanizing names for them
so we can kill them without remorse.

Redskin, Rusky, Haji, Gook,
Gerry, Nigger, Raghead, Dink,
Injun, Greaseball, Cracker, Spook,
Polack. Pickaninny, Jap, Chug, Chink.

We use language to turn them into something
other than fellow souls with similar dreams,
patriotic ideals, and families who love them.

The names help justify the indiscriminate
killing of soldiers and civilians
by reducing them to less than human.

SS America

The Ship of State is commanded by a spoiled boy
who steers his vessel in circles just to prove he can.
The crew collapses on the deck as the strings that move
their limbs begin to fray and finally break.
The passengers bicker among themselves whether
the captain is a demon or a grifter or a narcissistic idiot.
The survivors of other sunken vessels must tread water
until the frightened skipper knows flotsam from jetsam.
The first mate screams that fuel is running low
so the captain sends an S.O.S. to a ship lurking nearby.
No one seems to notice that ship flies the Jolly Roger
and its shirtless captain wears a knowing smile.
They don’t see the silent torpedoes coming through
the choppy sea until it’s too late for SS America.

Winter Sky

A tiny glistening speck
tears holes in cumulus cotton.
Faster than sound
it drags shreds of vapor
from a growling bear into
a seven-legged dragon and
an old man’s head.

Idiots

People whose ideas
oppose my ideas
are not idiots.
They have different beliefs.

Grandpa

When you forced your filthy penis

into your granddaughter’s mouth

you sated your demented lust

and sold your soul to the devil.

When you used her tiny body

to satisfy your desires,

you vandalized her innocence

without a shred of remorse.

When that was not enough for you,

you slithered through the branches

of your family tree and poisoned

more of your own progeny.

You’re the lowest form of human life,

a scum-filled predator with no redemption.

An eternity in hell falls short

of the fate that you deserve.

Casualties of War

Abused children are so hungry for relief
from their pain of trauma and abandonment
they are prime candidates for drug addiction,
illness and emotional disorders.
That insatiable craving for nurturing and security
doesn’t go away when they reach adulthood
and they have more access to addictive behaviors.

So America’s war on drugs is a war waged against
people who were abused as children.
Its battlefield strategy is to punish those people
for being abused by turning them into felons
and incarcerating them for long periods
in prisons where they are likely to be abused.
Like most wars, there are heavy casualties.

Blind Loyalty

Members of the military
wear blind loyalty like a badge of honor
to justify behavior that is immoral
in the real world.

A Suit for a Suit

Could I bring suit
against the Trump Administration
on behalf of my great-grandchildren
for putting their health at risk?

It would be difficult to make a case on my behalf
since I may only be around for another 15 years.
But their lives and health will certainly be harmed
by the removal of regulations that are
based on almost universally accepted science.

The health and lives of millions of children
around the world is being put at risk
by profiteers who are ignoring global warming
and environmental pollution.

Would a suit take my suit?