New Poem: SPIN THE DEPORTATION BOTTLE

 herded into a vast circle

 here comes the ICE agent with a gun

 watch the bottle rotate around 

 hope for your citizen status to be spared

 the bottle lands on someone without crimes

 ICE says isn’t that just too bad

 we have to send you away right now 

 mister president cannot lose face

 nor can the leader of wherever you’re going to 

 

New Poem: TRYING TO AVOID THE FIRE

 for the time being,

 they will take comfort in believing 

 he won’t come for them—

 instead it will be criminals.

 pregnant women daring to defy men,

 so-called deviants trapped in misgendered bodies

 >

 they hold themselves tight

 saying we break no laws

 we mind our business 

 no need to break in our houses

 enter our workplaces

 pull us over on freeways

 >

 the government who doesn’t care

 will close their eyes 

 and make their arrests

 no matter your situation 

 no matter your circumstances 

 no matter what you believe

 to be innocence

New Poem: THIS SUNDAY MORNING

in churches throughout this nation
there will be hymns prayers Bible excerpts
the Lord's Prayer will be recited
a special performance from the choir
then the pastor's 20 minute sermon
>
how many ministers will gather their courage
take the risk of some members walking out in disgust
if the sermon is about President Donald Trump
and how un-Christian behavior
such as racism and anti-Semitism
demonizing foreign refugees
plus far too much rendering unto Caesar
are moral diseases infecting the mind and heart
>
what will parishioners see and hear this Sunday morning
Jesus will be watching with great interest

Revised: THE COWARDICE POEM

here’s to the people who look the other way

when someone is encouraging the crowd

to close their eyes to simple decency

and support wholesale deportation

plus persecution of children and teens

over which gender they identify as

and what bathrooms they use

>

here’s to the television news channels

on the left and the right

who look at neo-fascist “campaign rallies”

as ratings opportunities--

waiting until old-fashioned newspapers

do actual reporting

before asking questions--

but not saying “fascism” or “lies”

because it displays a lack of “balance”

>

here’s to the people on social networks

who “don’t want to get political”

when friends and family

post ugly remarks and bigoted jokes

in loud support of their favorite prejudices

>

how will you cope with

the future you helped create

by doing the same old things

in the same old ways?