Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Mitch McConnell announces the death of bipartisanship in the Biden era

 Manu Raju of CNN: “...McConnell has privately informed associates that he plans to target President Joe Biden's agenda, with a push to unify Republicans on the grounds that it amounts to liberal overreach, another sign that he sees Trump as in the rearview mirror.”


Democrats should no longer be touting bipartisanship if Republicans intend to repeat the obstruction of the Obama years.

Sunday, February 7, 2021

New Poem: What poets think about when they praise Amanda Gorman

 she’s There

 maybe one day I can be There too

 with book deals that drop after the Event

 >

 she’s ready to write to order

 tailoring poems to the Event as advised

 >

 the modeling deal doesn’t bother me

 we should have written word rock stars too

 >

 every so often a poet who doesn’t get it writes

Amanda Gorman omitting Colin Kaepernick 

because her brand matters more than truth.  

Friday, February 5, 2021

New Poem: SEDITION PILLOW

 big expressive man with bigger mustache 

 appears on conservative fringe TV

 with paid program preceded by 90-second disclaimer 

 big Mike belts out his aria spiel:

 buy My Sedition Pillow

 after a night’s sleep

 you’ll believe the 2020 election never happened 

 that the government has to be rolled back

 and you’ll bellow about me being cancelled 

 as I add your name to my political donor list

 may you sleep many nights on My Sedition Pillow

 never waking up to be aware of who I really am


Monday, February 1, 2021

New Poem: PARKING LOT HEROES

 out in front of the Dairy Queen 

 at the intersection of Highways 25 and 287

 youthful male giants once stood as colossi

 astride the welcoming landscape of small town 70s

 naked streaking all the way to White’s Auto

 fights where karate was defeated by groin kick

 Kiss and Led Zeppelin (sometimes Herbie Hancock)

 provided background music from 8-track car stereos 

 >

 their world couldn’t hold back change

 some graduated, others did not

 one or two left town ahead of baby births 

 the Dairy Queen died so Texas One Stop could live

 White’s Auto is now a Dollar General

 the colossi are now grandparents 

 the youth of today drive their giant trucks

 get their provisions from One Stop

 and drive away fast with trucker hat country 

 as CD and FM stereo background music of choice 

 blasts away their anxieties over nothing being certain anymore 


Wednesday, January 20, 2021

New Poem: CLEANUP ON AISLE USA

 sweep away broken glass

 wipe the inhuman stain off cracked walls

 restock the long-empty shelves

 renew customer service 

 hire new, well-vetted employees

 reopen 24/7/365 for all, not just the few

 

 

Saturday, January 9, 2021

New Poem: CAPITOL HILL RAMBLE

 after the deaths and desecration the Democrats and the Republicans are set to agree in their own ways to move on and put the demon back in the bottle so people will get back to consuming, waiting for the vaccine and increasing stock prices after a few days to allow public venting and promises of a post- Presidency Senate trial plus saying pretty pretty please to the malign immovable object still hunkering down in the Oval Office making his pardon list and checking it twice while periodically looking at TV to see if anyone’s still weeping over his being silenced by social media meanwhile agitators whose names we all know refuse to resign on principle (President-elect says vote them out next election) just like the President whose poisonous water they still carry through the moral desert they choose to live in—and please remember 70 million people, some of them wanting nothing more than tax cuts, judges, persecution of immigrants and environmental deregulation, these 70 million who voted for Donald Trump and Michael Pence have to own their role in the deaths (including a Capitol Policeman) that resulted from The Donald trying to stay in office at his pleasure, almost marching democracy to the gallows erected outside 

Thursday, December 31, 2020

New Poem: FAREWELL 2020

 farewell 2020

 the year where someone scratched

 the tone arm hard across the favorite record

 with a rrrrrrrrrrrppppp sound

 and everything changed

 >

 farewell 2020

 the year where the Republican adage 

 government is best that governs least

 proved to be a deadly lie

 leave it to the states made everything worse

 >

 may 2021

 be the year where we don’t read these words:

 we don’t have 60 votes

 full vaccinated immunity not until 2022

 no federal charges filed against Donald Trump

Second Draft: Best Films and TV of 2020

 What I liked a lot so far this year:

 DA 5 BLOODS

 RED, WHITE AND BLUE

 KINGDOM OF SILENCE

 THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

 SHIRLEY 

 MISS JUNETEENTH 

 BABYTEETH

 TOTALLY UNDER CONTROL 

 NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS 

 FARGO SEASON 4

 MRS. AMERICA

 MEMORIES OF MURDER (Reissue)

 

 Honorable Mention:

 SOUND OF METAL

 THE INVISIBLE MAN

 THE KING OF STATEN ISLAND 

 POSSESSOR

 BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

 LET HIM GO

 SOUL

 EDUCATION

 THE SECRET GARDEN (2020)

 THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY

 BABY GOD

 A TEACHER



Overhyped:

AMMONITE

THE VAST OF NIGHT

TOMMASO 

BACURAU 

THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW

THE NEST