No Kings

The disembodied digital voice on the light rail 

scolds with bitchy abandon,

telling me no less than five times -

over the course of fifteen minutes -

that I should be respectful,

refrain from eating,

and - for God's sake -

keep my grubby feet off the seat!

Oh, how I wish I were holding a gloriously gooey sandwich,

devouring it with greasy gusto as the slippery secret sauce 

drips slowly down my chin and onto . . . 

As it is, sitting defiantly cross-legged on the seat

will have to do.

Principled resistance -

in all its forms -

is such a buzz.

_____________________________

No Kings

La voz mecanizada en el tren

regaña con mal humor desenfrenado,

diciéndome nada menos que cinco veces

durante quince minutos

que debería ser respetuosa,

abstenerme de comer,

y - por el amor de Dios -

mantener mis pies mugrientos

fuera del asiento.

Ah, ojalá tuviera un sandwich gloriosamente pegajoso,

devorándolo con gusto grasoso mientras la salsa secreta 

goteara lentemente en mi barbilla y . . . 

Como va la cosa, sentándome desafientemente

de piernas cruzadas en el asiento

bastará por ahora.

La resistencia de principios -

en todas sus formas -

es tan gratificante. 

harsh love/amor duro

 Love in action is a harsh and dreadful thing 
 compared to love in dreams.
                                            ~ Fyodor Dostoyevsky

As Emma Gonzalez stood in silence, gently weeping
before hundreds of thousands of people
I remembered that Valentine's Day fell on Ash Wednesday this year
How ironic
How real
Love doesn't disappear in the ashes, you know
It explodes, searing our souls with
the powdery remains of what once was
and what will always be

What is it we say when we don't know what to say?
No words, no words
Ashen cross traced gently on the forehead
No words, no words
Because this year when Valentine's Day fell on Ash Wednesday
bullets flew and holy innocents perished     
                                   
Weeks later, as Emma Gonzalez stood in silence, gently weeping
before hundreds of thousands of people
the world stopped
awkward stillness rippling through the crowd
and once again there were no words
only hearts cracking open
in hopeful desolation
a brave young woman challenging us with her tears and her grief
to believe in resurrection
in a world that will never be the same

March 24, 2018
March for our Lives
With deep gratitude to the students of Parkland and all students who are speaking out for gun reform 


amor duro

El amor en acción es una cosa dura y terrible 
en comparación con el amor en sueños.
                                                            ~ Fyodor Dostoevski

Mientras Emma Gonzalez estaba parada en silencio, sollazando suavemente
en frente de cientos de miles de personas
Recordé que este año el Día de San Valentín coincidió con
el Miércoles de Ceniza
Qué irónico
Qué honesto
El amor no desaparece en las cenizas, sabes?
Explota, quemando nuestras almas con
los restos polvorosos de lo que una vez existía
y lo que siempre será

Qué es lo que decimos cuando no sabemos qué decir?
No hay palabras, no hay palabras
Cruz de cenizas marcada en la frente
No hay palabras, no hay palabras
Porque este año cuando el Día de San Valentín
coincidió con el Miércoles de Ceniza
volaron balas y los santos inocentes perecieron

Unas semanas después,
cuando Emma Gonzalez estaba parada en silencio, sollozando suavemente
el mundo se detuvo
la quietud incómoda oleando entre la gente
otra vez no había palabras
sólo corazones abriendo
en la desolación esperanzada
una joven valiente desafiándonos con sus lágrimas y su duelo
a creer en la resurección
en un mundo que nunca será igual

el 24 de marzo, 2018
La Marcha por Nuestras Vidas
Con profunda gratitud a los estudiantes de Parkland y a todos los estudiantes trabajando por la reforma de armas

You're a mean one, Mr. Trump

(with apologies to The Grinch)

You're a mean one, Mr. Trump.
You really are a heel.
You're as cuddly as a cactus, you're as charming as an eel.
Mr. Trump,
You're a bad banana with a greasy black peel!

The man who was elected President by the Electoral College (not the people) thought it would be a good idea to ignore the 5th anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre. Nicole Hockley, mother of one of those precious children who were gunned down, described how it felt: "Not only did he ignore the 5-year remembrance completely — not even a single tweet — he slapped us all in the face by having none other than NRA President Wayne LaPierre at his White House Christmas party that night. The appalling lack of humanity and decency has not gone unnoticed."

You're a foul one, Mr. Trump.
You have termites in your smile.
You have all the tender sweetness of a seasick crocodile.
Mr. Trump,
Given a choice between the two of you, I'd take the seasick crocodile!

Today, when an Amtrak train flew off an overpass and landed on Interstate 5, just down the road from my house, the man who was elected President by the Electoral College (not the people) thought it would be a good idea to ignore the victims of the horrific crash and tweet instead about his non-existent infrastructure plan:

The train accident that just occurred in DuPont, WA shows more than ever why our soon to be submitted intrastructure plan must be approved quickly. Seven trillion dollars spent in the Middle East while our roads, bridges, tunnels, railways (and more) crumble! Not for long!

Apparently his minions scrambled quickly to get him to offer sympathy for the victims, and a kinder, gentler tweet appeared about ten minutes later.

The minions are always scrambling.

You're a foul one, Mr. Trump.
You're a nasty, wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks,
Your soul is full of gunk.
Mr. Trump,
The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote:
"Stink, stank, stunk!"

This man who was elected President by the Electoral College (not the people) is cruel, hateful, boorish, ignorant, and extremely dangerous. This is not news. It's just that today ~ maybe because the train tragedy hit so close to home ~ I was gobsmacked by how ashamed I am that he is our President.

Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, once said: "We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community."
Love and community are kryptonite for bullies. There is nothing more threatening to this man who was elected President by the Electoral College (not the people). Breaking down barriers and shining light on schemes and walls and every other attempt to divide and dehumanize us ~ that's what love and community can do; and in our current reality, that is what we must do.

You're a monster, Mr. Trump,
Your heart's an empty hole . . .

We have no intention of falling into it.

                           ¡Feliz Navidad!