I Will Celebrate Today!

I Will Celebrate Today!

I will celebrate today
just a little
but not without knowing
he will try another tack
to take away health care
from those most in need
as he tells poor and sick it is
for their own good

and still they believe
he will make America great
with this bitter pill
which will further
line the pockets
of the billionaires
who will laugh and golf
at their expense
in the undrained swamps
of Mara Lago

so next week there
is more work to do
no time to relax
or let down our guard
as the devil is plotting
there is stink of collusion
but I will celebrate today
just a little.


Based on the politics of yesterday, this is written for Poets United Poetry Pantry.
Time to celebrate the defeat of the Republican health care bill...but not
to be naive enough to think this is the end of the story.

Mirror

Mirror

Where is the mirror of truth
when we are surrounded by lies?

Where is the mirror of compassion
when cruelty is the name of the game?

Where is the mirror of love
when hatred has a human face?

Where is the mirror of hope
when fear and doubt abound?

Where is the mirror of days past?
please someone bring that mirror back.


This is written for Sumana's prompt at Midweek Motif:  Mirror

Kindness

Kindness

We all need the kindness of strangers
      a reassuring ear when we are scared      
      someone to open the door when we feel weak      
      a cheerful voice on the phone
      a friend to validate our thoughts
      a colleague who invites us to join
      a reader who responds to our poems
we all need the kindness of strangers
let us each be one who is kind.

This is written for Susan's prompt at Poets United -- "kindness of strangers"
and it is also being shared with Poetry Pantry!
           
   

To Persist

To Persist

To speak and be heard
democracy in action
but do they really listen
as we persist

and if they listen
do they really hear
or are  opinions fixed
as we persist

many of us resist
hope to change the tide
have only one choice
we must persist.

For Poets United Poetry Pantry


Today I went to a 'town hall meeting' given by my representative in Washington D.C.  He is the man in the center of both photos.  He  conducted many 'town halls' this weekend. The top picture shows part of the crowd.  Many questions were asked by people who don't like the way things are going in the country right now.  I wonder if these efforts accomplish anything positive, but we have to carry on....to resist.

To Be Bold

To Be Bold

Sometimes I don't feel so bold
I telephone congress people
I attend legislator's town halls
make my opposition known
and I'd be willing to march
think about offering sanctuary
but as things deteriorate
with no end in sight
I wonder if I'd be willing
to put my life on the line
sometimes I don't feel so bold.

Written for Sumana's Midweek Motif:  Be Bold for Change
in honor of International Woman's Day

The Bright Side

The Bright Side

It is better to look on the bright side
and say things will get better tomorrow
but why would I think this would be true
when each day there has been more injustice

and how he will separate mothers from children
forcing them to live in different facilities
which strikes me as something from a
fascist novel I never thought would be real

he will no longer support programs for
clean air or clean water or climate change
no longer protect transgenders and will
even allow hibernating bear cubs to be shot

It is better to look on the bright side
and say things will get better tomorrow
but the only way things will be come better
is if he is forced out of office

but so far the Republicans who bear his guilt
and condone his heartless policies
are all too spineless to object but we hope
yes we hope we can hold on to hope.

Written for Poetry Pantry.