Days of Darkness 2

billionaires now in power

the darkest of hours has arrived

money now rules...fools on the warpath

yet the Bible says

“For the love of money is the root of all evil…"

avarice…gluttony…greed

the seed of war now planted

into future partnerships with haters…dictators

racism and bigotry

exploding over the country

dropping bomb shards that kill

empathy and reason in the season of hate

to late for justice for all…

hypocritical right winged

Christianity spreads a disease of the mind

with such ease…hypocrisy

continues to promote unjust acts

don't tax the rich

silence the voice of a woman's right of choice

set limitations on the immigration of Muslims
times up for for the achievers...the dreamers

self- righteousness rules

the moral right is so confused...

cultivating darkness

embroiling America in

a spiritual contradiction of a religion

devoid of the love of Jesus

who they profess to believe in...

cultivating darkness

no justice for the oppressed

no justice for the poor

no justice for the downtrodden…

only death, the grave, and hell.

now real justice it seems

has once again become only a dream

of social democracy in the land of the free

wouldn't it have been glorious to see

universal health care

affordable housing everywhere

sustainable care for the elderly…

living out their lives in peace
education for all citizens

the school to prison pipeline eradicated at last

massive incarceration a phenomenon of the past...

O' what a wonderful country this could be…

if taxation of the rich was a reality

helping to pay for social programs

that could assist in the elimination of poverty

and then this nation would truly be

“One nation…under God

with liberty and justice for all.”

The Blue Mirror

Chords ...piano sounds

Trombone…tenor sax

Notes flowing…flying 
  

all around the rhythm of the drums… 
                                                                                                      

Jazz proclaims supremacy 

in celebration of a musical legacy… 
   

The Newark Blues People Festival lives on.

A soloist accompanied by

harmonizing voices declares  
                                                                                                                    
the reason for the season. 
                                                                                                        

Silent Night in the Blue Mirror  
                                                                                                       

sings of heavenly peace…   
                                                                                                              

A peace to release the mind 
                                                                                                  

from stress and worry 
                                                                                                                   

from violence and from hate …    
                                                                                                           

Contralto tones interweave   
                                                                                                         

with chords falling between beats   
                                                                               

crescendo-ing into a spiritual explosion

declaring amazing grace 
                                                                                                                        

in the blue mirror.

Voices curve in and out
                                                                                                           

accentuating spaces in the music…  
                                                                                                         
The breathy sound of the flute softly enters 
              

whispering melodically of 

hope    
                                                                                                                                            

The music rumbles        
                                                                                                                           

The music rolls      
                                                                                                                                    

The drums explode …  
                                                                                                                             

A glissando sends sixteenth notes    
                                                                                                         

cascading into the atmosphere

igniting spirits to take wing and soar…

lanterns lighting the way   
                                                                                                             

in the blue mirror.

Abstract designs                                                                                                                                      

reflect bass notes 
                                                                                                                                     

walking through the mirror 
                                                                                                                      

in search of the one… 
                                                                                                                               

The beat that connects musical exploration
                                                                                

 into a unifying force   
                                                                                                                              

 in search of creation…  
                                                                                                             

 in search of a peace to release  the mind  

from stress and worry   
                                                                                         

from violence and from hate…  
                                                                                                                

in search of a peace 
                                                                                                                    

that serenades unity in the family of man.

Reservoir Park

Waters of the reservoir

Shimmer in the late afternoon sun

Deep in reflection messaging

Peace and tranquility ...

Sitting in Reservoir Park

Days getting shorter

It will be dark soon                        

The happy excited laughter

Of the many children

Culturally diverse          

Climbing rings on boat like jungle gyms

Fleeting images in their heads

Of pirate ships on rolling seas

Alternately blend in

With the sound of an airplane high in the sky

zooming into the unknown.

Waters of the reservoir

Shimmer in the late afternoon sun

Deep in reflection messaging

Peace and tranquility ...
         
Crisp fall air envelopes the park

Trees statuesque in their splendor stand tall

Branches swaying to the rhythm of the wind

Bow to the universe in awe of magnificence…

Leaves in their splendor starting to turn

Yellow…red…gold

Many though still green

Autumn declaring its glory

as cars swish by on destination road.

Waters of the reservoir

Shimmer in the late afternoon sun

Deep in reflection messaging

Peace and tranquility…

Fathers and mothers hands on hips

Watch over children twirling on a pole

Going round and round…

Stepping on ladders that look like worms

Sliding…swinging…running…ripping

The reservoir mirroring

A momentary glimpse into eternity

Of the many ethnicities          

at peace with each other…

The horizon now coloring in gold…orange…and pink

signals the setting of the sun.

Waters of the reservoir

Shimmer in the late afternoon sun

Deep in reflection messaging

Peace and tranquility…

A Vortex of Emotions

                

Emotions all a muck swirling in a giant vortex as we approach the dawn of the rest of our existence…rage…hate…anger…fear…sorrow…sadness… disgust…no trust.  A myriad of feelings followed the most bizarre election in the history of the United States of America.  Donald Trump was elected the 45^th president of our country based on a platform of rhetoric, persuasively appealing to fear and hate, and effectively dividing the country into an enclave of compassion surrounded by callousness and confusion. This man said he would build a wall to keep Mexicans out and stop Muslims from coming into this country. This man did not emphatically denounce the endorsement of the KuKluxKlan, and this man was also known to physically grope women viewing them as sexual objects.   This man is a person many of us thought was one big dangerous joke but in the end he got the last laugh.

I ran across a quote of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. which I feel appropriately describes what just happened in our country. “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”   A year or so ago when I first read this quote I didn’t quite understand it and glossed over it, but after this election and upon re-reading it had an “a ha” moment, a light bulb experience, and with some reflection was able to apply his words to our new reality:

Sincere ignorance stayed home the day of the election because of the thought that their vote didn’t matter, and were comfortably clothed in the notion when in doubt don’t vote. Sincere ignorance blinded many blue collar workers to the fact that the 5% unemployment rate is about as low as you can go in a capitalist system and was achieved by our current president Barack Obama. Sincere ignorance hoodwinked laborers with empty promises and them not realizing the impact of technology, which is rapidly replacing workers because highly skilled training is required.

 Sincere ignorance pierced the fear of coal miners into the belief that “go green” is a fad and the mining industry will be revitalized in spite of fossil fuels contributing to global warming..  Sincere ignorance fed on the uneducated who don’t have a clue as to the economics of this country, who idolize wealth, and who think that the 3% of this nation that controls the money has compassion for the shrinking middle class and the less fortunate. 

Conscientious stupidity stymied the hands of many right winged Christians who in spite of the Divine Doctrine of Love voted for hatred and intolerance…their paralyzed  hands keeping them from opening the bible and doing a fact check: St. Matthew 25: “³⁴ Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:³⁵ For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:³⁶ Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.”  The rallying cry of  “let the oppressed go free” rings throughout the Bible from the Old Testament to the New.

Conscientious stupidity was black people voting for the same man that the KuKluxKlan endorsed. Even sincere ignorance does not justify a black person casting a vote for the KKK, an organization that has tortured, hung, murdered, and burned their way into the psyche of the African American collective conscience and is forever embedded in the historical tapestry of the United States of America.
Conscientious stupidity voted for a man who wants to violate the first amendment by curtailing the migration of Muslims to this  country. This amendment states:“Congress shall make no law prohibiting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the exercise thereof; abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances. 
Conscientious stupidity ranted and raved about building a wall to keep our southern neighbors out, and about deporting large numbers of people who came to this country seeking a better life. Nevertheless the Statue of Liberty stands in the New York harbor singing out: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses to breathe free…send these homeless, tempest tossed to me. I will lift my lamp beside the golden door.” 

This is a country of immigrants no matter how many generations removed, and then of course  the many African Americans whose ancestors were brought to this country by force. The only indigenous people are the Native Americans, and here in 2016 the multicultural nature of this country is one of its greatest strengths. 

What do we do? Do we wait and see what’s going to happen over the next four years? Do we simply become complacently compliant only grumbling every now and then?  Or do we continue to work at making a difference in our communities, keeping our commitment and compassion for justice alive, and continuing to embrace humanity with empathy and dignity?  Do we stand up for something or do we fall for anything? In conclusion more wise words from Dr. King, Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Summer Fun is Done

Long lazy days

Some sunny

Some laced with warm raindrops

Kissing the earth.

Some woven with sounds of explosive thunder

Interspersed with the sharp lines of lightning

Cutting through space.

Hot days             

Swimming…splashing

Sliding…diving in the pool.

Summer fun

Transforms family…friends

And a sense of camaraderie

Into unforgettable memories.

The smell of charcoal  
Barbecue ribs on the grill
Along with chicken...hot dogs...
Hamburgers...

Fish frying...

Drifts into the atmosphere

Tantalizing

Teasing the palates

Of patient people gathered together...

Chatting

Socializing

Drinking

Eating

Dancing the night away to the cha-cha slide

Wobbling through time

Twirling to sounds of the meringue…

Stepping high to reggae rhythms.

Syncopated notes glide through the cosmos

Singing of summer fun.

Trains…planes…cars to paradise

Beckon souls seeking vacation recreation.

Glittering lights

Sparkling green...red...blue

Yellow…mellow…

Welcome visitors to palaces of pleasure.

Spinning rides

Arcades for days

Fireworks stunning in the sky

Proclaim euphoria.

Music rocks generating energy

Electrifying the stadium

Defying dimension as graceful creatures

Twist and turn in the night driving 
Patrons wild in their delight with summer fun

Beaches

White sands

Turquoise blue oceans

Extend as far as the eye can see

Signaling a sense of the infinite…

Magnifying wisdom

Inspiring hearts to new heights

Of thankfulness…and then

The first Monday in September

A holiday dedicated to workers
A holiday dedicated to labor
A holiday dedicated to a collective work ethic

Heralds the unofficial close of another summer season.

Summer fun is done!

Aftermath

A rainy day overcast and gray
an aftermath to sheer tropical destruction 
                                                                                  

rain drops dripping into puddles forming mini whirlpools                                                    

announce 1000’s dead                                                                                                           
many homeless                                                                                    

flood waters encompass the lands 
                                                                                                                                               
trees statuesque in their splendor                               

leaves on branches delicate and slender 
sway to the rhythm of the wind                                                                                            
bowing to the universe in awe of raw power.

Hey America “Put some Respect on God’s Name!”

America has been known as a Christian nation yet from its inception the name of Jesus has been used blasphemously starting with the justification of slavery; the justification of stealing land from Native Americans; the justification of relegating all minorities to a sub human category; burning crosses of hatred…goodness and mercy strangled…hanging from trees swinging in the breeze…the disrespecting of earth in search of the almighty dollar…pollution prevails.

Hey America “Put some respect on God’s name!”

Three percent of the population controls the wealth in this great nation…it’s all about the money… the bling-bling…capital gain…no shame in the game; prisons for profit making money off of human misery; high cost of medicine...high cost of health care making money off of people’s infirmities; high cost of housing making money at the expense of families in homeless shelters living a helter-skelter existence.

Hey America “Put some respect on God’s name!”

Racial slurs flying through the air. Build a wall keep the southern neighbors out and without a doubt limit the number of Muslims coming to this country and you will see no more terrorists. Bear arms and sound the alarm…assault weapons are here to stay. Let’s  take America back…back to the day of reckoning and racist rhetoric.  Turn back the clock and stop Obamacare! No profit in universal healthcare… so there!  Don’t spend the money…don’t spend the money…don’t spend the money.

Hey America “Put some respect on God’s name!”

God's Word says feed the hungry…set the oppressed free…help the homeless; reach out to the hopeless...visit the sick… comfort the afflicted…go to the prisons…show compassion…love ye one another like sisters and brothers. God so loved us that He sent his son Jesus to live the perfect life.  The Christian walk is not about talk or hypocrisy.  Let empathy rule…love in deeds…sewing good seeds.  Live in truth…let God’s word take root.

Hey America “Put some respect on God’s name!”

Jesus the epitome of spiritual love…sent by God the Father above…set the standard high for you and I. Love God…love your neighbor like you love yourself. Come to know divine wealth. Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek...seek God...pray for those who misuse and abuse you.  Jesus sacrificed his life for us…to open our eyes that we might obtain the prize of his Holy Spirit…to abide in us both here on earth and throughout eternity in a city not made with hands.

Hey America “put some respect on God’s name!”

Black Boy Mothers' Blues 2

Will the Real America Please Stand!

Spinning to the beginning…Dreams of wealth, power, and religious freedom disembarked onto luscious green shores in the new world with space galore.  Exploration in search of riches travelled to the promise land flying flags of capital gain.

And the seed of greed planted in wild beds of racism sprouted weeds of hatred. Slavery announced its supremacy picking profits in the cotton fields. Trails of blood and tears crisscrossed the fertile terrain…overpowering the humane.

Will the real America please stand!

Insatiability reigned reaching into the new millennium its tentacles of gluttony strangling empathy…disrespecting Lady Liberty’s call “give me your poor”…Nay for ”I will build a great wall and keep the Mexicans out”…yet the Statue of Liberty beckons for all to enter the golden door.

The Ku Klux Klan…American terrorists…leaving an infamous trail of black bodies hanging from trees…burning crosses…committing religious blasphemy doing dastardly deeds in the name of Christianity…allows indifference to state “not sure of what they do but I will get back to you.”

Will the real America please stand!

Driven tyranny espousing repression ignites xenophobic mentalities clothed in a bizarre reality.  Despotic rhetoric slaps freedom of religion into a den of intolerance and ignorance…ranting and raving calling for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering this country.”…

Truth screams twice as many terrorist attacks in the States are perpetrated by right winged extremist embroiled in hate. Is it too late to rectify the lies? Is it too late for unsubstantiated fabrications to cease in the name of peace? Is it too late for the Ku Klux Klan to be repudiated for its long reign of terror?

Will the real America please stand!

The Watcher of Weight

The food demon embedded deep in gray matter, waiting to launch across the synapse, jumps on the back of neurons, bombarding determination setting desire on fire… uncontrollable!  Flashing past reason, committing treason, sabotaging moderation…the food demon bent on destruction destroys resolve. Where is the watcher of weight?  Where is the keeper of the gate? 

     

Eat…eat…eat…Taste buds activated and on alert ready to savor each tantalizing bite.  The palate waits in pleasure. Food slides down the esophagus, fills the emotional void soothing nerve endings. The demon demands more declaring war from the shore of the hypothalamus!  An onslaught…a gush of craving…a surge…Where is the watcher of weight? Where is the keeper of the gate?

Feed me …feed me... feed me. Visions of food screened by the underside of eye lids fly past. Hedonistic in desire to bind self-restraint…In the blink of a wink the hand seizes forbidden fruit orchestrating mindless gorging. The food demon sings no to self- control…laughing…taunting the mind reeling with the reality of no sense of satiety. Where is the watcher of weight? Where is the keeper of the gate?

The keeper of the gate  slowly awakes…unlocking the resistance to transformation…breaking the chains of shame…penetrating the shades of Hades freeing the watcher of weight from the dungeon of despair…then ascends the hill of guilt ready to face confrontation with a determination to vanquish the arch fiend of the food demons.

The watcher of weight sounds the call for all neuropeptides to slide with tenacity and resolution over the lobes to probe for weakness, to root out gluttony, to alleviate uncertainty, to crush self indulgence, to assuage the fear of failure, to put stress to rest... to transmit victory to the insular…the connector of body and soul.

The watcher of weight  and the keeper of the gate…inherent strength renewed… fortify temperance… bolsters confidence…then with assurance regain self control  binding the food demon forevermore and go forth to light the torch of conquest and embrace the sensation of success…success…and more success!

Here are a few definitions of some of the words used:

synapse- a junction between two nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter.

neuron- a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses; a nerve cell.

Hypothalamus - a region of the forebrain below the thalamus controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity.

satiety  - the feeling or state of being full after eating

neuropeptide- any of a group of compounds that act as neurotransmitters and are short-chain polypeptides.