Where is room for sublime
in Trump-Modi era
if we talk about
grief, trauma, social justice
liberation, health, job
happiness in a culture
of divide and rule through
rightward extremism?
comics of history
in lanes and bylanes
search lingams for new world
threat murals of mutiny
recreating new forms
unearthly light and space
in old tales sacred for
visions of heritage
I don’t share their tangerine
nor stream in their landscape
even if I’m consumed
in blankness of fire or flood
("Let There Be Life", 2026, original encaustic)
I went for a walk in the woods
And all around me
There was rot and decay
And within that, because of that
There was life.
We can resist
Reject and dislike
What it does
Even kick and scream
But It will always win.
(6/8/26)
Little one, your impending birth is bittersweet
for how can I be filled with joy
as you make your grand entrance
into a country misled by greed and power?
I eagerly awaited your gender reveal
and remain terrified of what the next four years will reveal
as the American people
lose their jobs, their minds, their lives, their hope
For now, your mother’s womb
offers a cocoon of protection
but what lies in wait once you enter the harsh reality
of this upside-down world where wrong is right?
Where too many adults have become punch-drunk
suckling on the smooth flow of lies
from those in office spouting conspiracy theories
that dribble down their double chins
I wonder and worry what you’ll learn from role models
who boss and bully
eager to tear young babes from their mothers’ embrace
leaders whose evil knows no borders
Yet, I will welcome you with open arms
and do what a bubbe does best
I'l shower you with love hold you tight
calm your fears, dry your tears
Knowing that this too shall pass.
In the dark of night, shadows danced, whispers of injustice echoed through time
Black men sought escape in new, destructive habits
Dreams faded like smoke in the air, leaving lost souls and shattered hopes
The barrier of getting a black lad a decent life aroused depression, but black men, we are
We rise, but do we rise taller or merely wiser?
We rise from the ashes of pain, while claiming our space and our pride
In the face of adversity, we won't hide, we march on with fists clenched high
But, how will we experience triumphs while we lack cooperation?
Broken chains reveal broken minds, struggling to unite, weighed by internal demons
Yet in vulnerability, we find unbreakable strength,we rise, unshaken
For black men, we are unbreakable
by BaMuata
A poem celebrating Black history and humanity's endless possibilities*
We are the light shining bright,
Through centuries of struggle, standing in our might,
From ancient kingdoms to the modern day,
Our brilliance illuminates the way.
We are the dreamers, the builders, the bold,
Stories of resilience, forever told,
In every generation, we rise and fight,
A beacon of hope, shining ever so bright.
We are the artists, the poets, the sage,
Writing our truth on history's page,
Through music and movement, we stake our claim,
A legacy of greatness, etched in our name.
We are the scientists, the leaders, the wise,
Breaking through barriers, reaching the skies,
In every field, we make our mark,
Turning shadows into light from the dark.
We acknowledge all possibility within,
A place in humanity where we all begin,
United in purpose, diverse in our song,
Together we're powerful, together we're strong.
We are the past, the present, the future untold,
Hearts full of courage, spirits of gold,
In celebration of Blackness, we stand in our right,
Forever and always, we are the light shining bright.
Take me now, oh dear lord of greater good!
Make my worthless life have meaning
As I throw it all away
Dashed against the walls and defenses
Of an enemy I create
To be right
No matter how wrong
I know my heart to be.
(1/10/26)
The modern world has practically eliminated chickenpox
But now has an epidemic of the chicken sh*t.
From top to bottom we see it infecting society.
If you’re in a position of authority, and
Use that position to target and oppress others
And undermine the Rule of Law through lawfare,
You are chicken sh*t.
If you are in a position of power, and
Use that position to enable other’s corruption
You are chicken sh*t.
From parents, to school boards, DAs, and the FBI
Corruption is now tolerated and pursued,
In the name of some vague social justice,
But really only because those doing it are chicken sh*t.
Have you ever actually seen chicken sh*t?
It is repulsive, slimy, wet and foul,
But it is good for one thing
Fertilizing your garden.
(9/21/25)
I am only a voice
not the loudest in the crowd
not the softest either
but steady enough to be heard.
Shape me into fire
a rising sun on darkened streets
so I can burn through hatred
so I can light the cracks of racism.
I am just a sound
the trembling roar of a cub
but let me grow into a lion
so I can tear the chains of corruption.
Make me more than an echo
make me thunder on the horizon
make me the horn that will not quiet
until justice learns my name.
Robin Hood, Robin Hood,
riding through the glen!
Robin Hood , Robin Hood and his merry men
give to the rich
what they' taken from the poor.
The world in which I'm living
ain't the one I knew before.
Just make believe
And your dreams will set you free…
Actually, it’s your sleep
And blissful dreaming that sets you free
In a la-la land of make believe.
The real world doesn’t require belief
It requires action
Eat or be eaten, fight or flight.
But dreaming is much more fun
Especially when someone else does your hunting.
This is the world of childish wonder
Of dreams projected onto reality
Of fears projected onto others
A world where I’ll grow up to become
A fireman, a healer, a Marxist rebel, a world savior.
This is the world of make believe
Where everyone follows their bliss
Into ever deeper sleep
A world where the biggest concern
Is, is my pillow soft or firm enough…
(8/21/24)
What madness
We are killing the healers and paying their killers
Bound to the pound and signed our own fate
Consuming its rot confiding in demons
looting the land and soiling the seas
The mother is burning the father is frail
Its shadow is creeping its whispers are vile
The machine it runs rampant its controls are all broken
Our storytellers are paid to swim with its tide
Is this the best we have to offer?
Slogans selling you tomorrow
In a world gone mad
where rape and murder
in the name of love and peace
get the unquestioning support
of the freedom loving press
and college campus crowd
social justice jihad
attains the level
of a church indulgence
get out of jail free card
for the willful ignorance
of good intentions
we all know
only lead to hell
(10/18/23)
Once I threw a mouldy bread
into the dumpster
and when I went for groceries
I saw a Gypsy boy taking the bread
and being content about it.
A tear dropped down my cheek.
I was always surrounded by
immoral people;
drug addicts, alcoholics,
small thieves, the poor.
Perhaps they see me as one of them
or they like the fact I don’t see them
as immoral. Or they see me as a saviour.
Yes, that is who I am.
Mother Theresa for drug addicts.
Mouldy bread for hungry Gypsy boy.
...And in that lies the irony
of this whole ‘social justice’ phrase,
it exists to excuse racism,
to put a nice name on mere hate.
You want to hate pale people or
attack any one that succeeds,
just claim that it’s ‘social justice,’
then you can go and make them bleed.
You want to say bigoted things
and not have to take flak for it?
Just claim that it’s ‘social justice,’
and that your group ‘cannot be racist.’
You want to put quotas in place,
and get jobs that you have no earned?
Then just cry out ‘social justice,’
and watched those wrong-colored folk burn.
You want to smash and loot your town,
but now have to do time in jail?
Just say that it’s ‘social justice,’
and they let you go without fail.
We really shouldn’t be surprised,
the left always divides by race,
from slavery down to Jim Crow…
of course they’d cheerlead this disgrace.
But there’s no need to buy into
a concept that’s so disgusting,
justice can never be social,
it’s an individual thing.
Always.
Husband, brother, son,
lover, friend -
Will we see you again?
Will you be a headline on the news?
Unarmed and unashamed.
We stand fearful and furious
in tear soaked silent pleas.
Something must change.
His skin won't warrant death,
and our hearts won't continue to pay
the inexcusable cost
of love in America.
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