"When fascism comes to America,
it will be wrapped in a flag
and carrying a cross."

-- Sinclair Lewis

 

 

Introduction
****

Line by line,
With rhythm and rhyme,
This true-life-fiction unfolds.

Wit and wisdom
Weave tragedy and vision.
In a story that must be told.
~
Mixing truth with lies
Forms a thin disguise
In this real-life fairy tale.

As hopes and dreams
Turn to nightmare scenes
And the balance shifts on the scales.
~
But the facts are right there.
And the truth becomes clear
When darkness is exposed to the light.

If we open our ears
And let go of our fears;
Together, we’ll make it alright.
~
There’s a way out, you see
And YOU are the key.
The way out is the way within.

So with joy, set a course
To follow your source.
With Love,
All of mankind will win.

~~~

 

 

DISCLAIMER
****

This is a work of fiction. All persons and events in this publication are purely the imagination of the author and do not represent any actual events or persons living or dead. Any resemblance to actual events or persons living or dead is completely coincidental.

~~~

After all; if there really were any actual persons,

(like government, business or church officials)

who were making decisions based on
their own selfish greed,
lust for power,
or other personal motivations …

(like awarding billions of dollars in military and construction contracts to their friends without open bids,
or ignoring environmental concerns and manipulating records to inflate profits at the expense of the public,
or diverting millions of dollars in church funds toward personal opulence and political manipulation) …

Or, if there really were any actual persons,
taking part in any actual events

(like soliciting or accepting ‘incentives’ or bribes
in the form of
campaign contributions,
travel costs,
home improvements
and other questionable, and often down right illegal, gifts

from major oil companies or defense contractors,
for instance) …

Or, if there really were any actual persons,

that had deliberately lied to the people of the United States and the world in an effort to further their personal agendas…

(like, by repeatedly saying that there were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq,
when they knew damn well that there were not...

and saying that Iraq was directly involved in the 911 tragedy,
when they knew damn well that they were not...

and using those lies as an excuse
to invade and occupy a sovereign nation,

that just happens to be sitting on top of some of the largest oil fields available on the planet) …

Or, if these actual persons,

were attempting to further their agenda
to control Mid East oil
by planning an attack on Iran,
there-by broadening this costly war;
all the while covering up their true intentions
with even more lies and distractions …

Or, if any actual persons,

(like Dick Cheney and his Halliburton buddies)

actually profited to the tune of millions of dollars
from government contracts worth billions of dollars
while we continue to pay a cost in the trillions of dollars

and nearly one hundred thousand Iraqi civilians...

men, woman and children,

were needlessly killed ...

(not to mention the four thousand dead American troops!)
Oh! Heck, let’s mention them too.
                                                                  They deserve it.

If there really were any such actual events or persons,
here in twenty first century America:

As the Patriotic American citizens that I’m sure you are,

I have no doubt that:
you would have spoken up long ago
you would have stepped up long ago
you would have tried like hell to put a stop
to these actual events and these actual persons long ago.

As the Patriotic American citizens that I’m sure you are,

I have no doubt that if any actual persons,

(like your Congressmen, your Senators,
your President or your Vice President)

knowingly acted to initiate or prolong
any such actual events …
you would vote those actual persons out of office;
and you would put those actual persons in jail.

As the Patriotic American citizens that I’m sure you are,

I have no doubt
           that you would do
                       all that you could do
                                     to defend your country
                                                from any such actual scoundrels.

No Sir !…

None of this stuff is actual events or persons living or dead.

All this stuff
     is just the ramblings
            of a self proclaimed ‘Fool on The Hill’
                      with nothing better to do with his time
                                                                than write poetry.

~~~

 

 

When you’re not sure about things,
weigh the evidence for yourself.
But, be honest.
It’s bad enough being deceived by others
without deceiving yourself.
We are not blind,
and we don’t have to act like we are.

 

 

No Matter What We’ve Learned !
****

The President said… Don't panic.
There is no need for concern.
We really have to ‘Stay the Course’
no matter what we've learned !

It’s true, the ice is getting thin
and Atlanta's running out of water.
But we still need more SUVs
for Our sons and our daughters.

The scientists don't ALL agree.
They don't ALL see eye to eye.
And no one really gives a hoot
that Al Gore won the Nobel Prize.

I think there's still one scientist
who says THEY are all in error
and the prospect of the ocean's rise
should not be viewed with terror.

What's one degree here or there ?
or two or three or four ?
Why down in Texas, we have heat
that could fry a wild boar.

I know it looks like a desert
or some wilderness wasteland.
But it keeps the population down
when everything looks like sand.
~

And yes, it’s true the cost of war
will now be in the trillions.
And we've already killed
about one hundred thousand civilians.

But the money is going to my friends.
And the dead are all Iraqis.
Except for those four thousand
American soldiers now in boxes.

But we buried them with honor.
We draped them all with flags.
And we’re shielding the 'Inconvenient Truth'
of ALL those body bags.
~

Support is patriotic.
So support us at the polls,
even though you know the economy
is sinking deeper in the hole.

Just fly that red white and blue
and buy a bumper sticker.
You'll add a little comfort to
Dick Cheney's ailing ticker.
~

And when, at last, it comes to pass
the ocean is at Your door
and all Your children now are dead
from one of our little wars;

Remember, just don't panic.
There is no need for concern.
We really have to ‘Stay the Course’
no matter what we've learned !

~~~

Ignorance is not ‘bliss’ Ignorance… Is just ignorance

 

 

The Pauper Pawn
****

I am but a pauper… used as a pawn
in a game of life and death.
They made me a soldier when I was eighteen.
I guess you know the rest.

They shipped me off to Vietnam.
They shipped me to Iraq.
When they shipped me to Afghanistan,
I never did come back.
~

I did come back from Vietnam
but with Post Traumatic stress.
They said I never would be right.
But, that’s better than the rest.

We lost the leader of our squad
along with seven men.
I guess I really should say boys,
because that’s what we were then.
~

I hear they have another war
on the drafting table.
They’re making plans to bomb Iran.
I guess they think I’m able

To go and fight another war
so they can have their oil.
But I notice how they always seem
to fight on foreign soil.

I don’t think they could pull this off
if we were being bombed
in New York or Los Angeles
like they were in Vietnam.

Americans seem to like their wars
somewhere far away.
Then when we kids are being killed,
they can look the other way.

They even have this rule now
about not showing our coffins
in newspapers or on TV.
But we get killed pretty often.

Over Four Thousand Americans
have been killed now in Iraq.
About ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND Iraqi Dead
since we started this attack.
~

And that’s just their civilians.
We killed their soldiers too.
Our leaders don’t care which is which,
unless they think you do.

But you don’t pay attention
when it’s not in your back yard.
Until your kid comes home in a box...
Then you find it hard

To remember what we’re fighting for
or how this whole thing started.
So, I’ll tell you now… so you’ll understand
when your child is... ‘departed’.
~

There’s some rich guys pulling all the strings
and lying to our nation.
Saying; these Iraqis have to die
for us to have salvation.

GOD, they say, is on OUR side.
That’s why we kill their children
when we bomb their schools and hospitals.
(You know) Our side is just too willing

to listen to this president
and his small-minded men
saying “We are the ones being attacked”
and “We have to defend

Against weapons of mass destruction,
biological and chemical too”
Even though it’s been clearly shown
that NONE of that was true.
~

All we’re really doing there,
besides the killing spree,
is making money for the rich,
not defending you or me.

So the next time you hear someone say
“We want your kids for soldiers”
tell them
“ We don’t kill folks anymore ! ”

Maybe then war will be over.

~~~

 

When I despair,
I remember that all through history
the way of truth and love
has always won.

There have been tyrants and murderers
and for a time
they seem invincible
but in the end,
they always fall
–
think of it,

ALWAYS.

- - MAHATMA GANDHI

 

 

Only Once
****

I have been issued a gun…
and given orders to kill.

I am told by those with stripes and bars that
THEY are the enemy.

But I can not, of my own accord,
determine their guilt.

I have been told time and again
THEY are wrong.
THEY are bad.
THEY are killers.

It is kill… or be killed.

But there seems to be so many of them.

THEY… are Afghans.
THEY… are Iraqis.
THEY… are Iranians

How many then,
must I kill?

And how can I justify within myself
killing those many ?

Those with whom
I have not so much as quarreled ?

And yet...
Again I hear the voices calling.

Two voices

screaming ever louder

as if

the TRUTH…

will be determined

by THE VOLUME.

Killing is right !
          Killing is wrong !

Killing is right !
          Killing is wrong !

The justification is simple…
clear.

It is good to kill ‘the killer’.

Ah !
But once I pull the trigger,
I… become ‘the killer.’

How many then, must I kill
before my death is justified ?

Must I really become the killer
of many… ?

of any... ?

What are we accomplishing with all this killing, anyway ?

Perhaps
there is another solution.

Yes!

Now I see…

With only one shot
I can end this dilemma.

I will kill then.

But I will kill…
only once.

And with that one shot,

I will kill
               the killer
                              that I become.

There, the insanity will end.

Or will it?

Well,
in the alternative,
I couldn't live with myself anyway!

Yes,
I will kill then…

But only once!

~~~

 

     Recent statistics reveal the growing number of suicides in the US military and indicate that, in the final toll, the US military deaths as a result of the Iraq War may very well be higher from suicides than from casualties in the field.

We should never,
through our ignorance,
our arrogance,
our silence,

Put our sisters,
our brothers,
our daughters,
our sons

in a position
to feel
this
way
Again!

War is Hell!

Bring Them Home!

 

 

Life as an Ostrich
****

Dear Martin,

Over forty years have come and gone
since we killed you

You tried so hard to teach us
how to live
and love

I still don't understand
why we pulled that trigger

You made it so clear
to anyone who would listen
that you meant no harm

Non-violence was your catch phrase

You were more like Gandhi than Malcolm X

More like Bobby Kennedy than Bobby Seal

He wept for your loss
                    Did you know that ?
                                          Bobby Kennedy did

I think he understood more than most
what you meant
when you said
"I Have a Dream"

He had a dream too

So we killed him next

Why is it we kill the dreamers ?
the visionaries ?
the prophets ?

John Lennon wasn't far behind
when he asked us to ‘Imagine’
So we shot him too

I don't think this speaks very highly of us as Americans

Our history books tout of a people:
rebelling against tyranny
saving the world from the throngs of evil doers
supporting liberty and justice for All

But Now…

What our real history and current affairs reveals is:

We enslave whole races of people
for as long as we can get away with it

We pretend to emancipate them
but really
we just change the face of slavery

We oppress the women who brought us life
and bring us pleasure and wisdom

We invade nation after nation

We occupy nation after nation

We assassinate world leaders (and others)
that don't please us

We corrupt legitimate elections in other lands
or overthrow their governments
if we don’t like the results

We sacrifice and circumvent
the needs… and wants… and directives
of our own people
and people around the world
for the sake of money and power and greed

We spy on our own population

We imprison more of our own population
than any other nation

We arrest ‘Political Prisoners’
then hold them for years
without charges or trial
while we torture them

And when the corruption, lies and treasonous activities
of our elected officials
are made as clear as day
to the people of our land…

We… re-elect them

Then we set them free to:
strip our constitution of our beloved Bill of Rights
under the guise of protectionism
while they rape our land and foul our waters
in the name of progress

Then we try to tell the rest of the world
that we know better than they
how to run a country

And when they don't listen to our lies
and follow our path of corruption and destruction
we kill them too

just like we did you

Then we fly our flag higher
                                         and boldly say to the world
"I'm Proud to be an American
                                         where at least I know I'm Free"

And so we seem to be:
Free to lie
Free to steal
Free to invade
Free to occupy
Free to kill
Free to turn our heads
or hide them in the sands of ignorance

But you know what Martin;
when you stick your head in the sand,
to the rest of the world
you look like an Ass!

~~~

 

 

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people. - - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.      (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968)

 

 

American Pride
****

How many amputees per year ?
How many wounds per war ?
How many deaths does it take
Before we even the score ?

How many babies have to cry ?
How many have to die ?
Lying cold on the floor
While momma bleeds at her side.

How many poems does it take
To get the message through ?
War is not just caused by ‘them’.
It's caused by me and you...

Don't sit there and tell me
The ends justify the means
If it's not your baby on the floor
While your wife bleeds and screams.

(And) Don't tell me we've got the right
Or that God's on our side.
It's not His fault we’re killing.
It's that dammed American Pride !

~~~

 

 

IF YOU ARE GOING TO SEEK REVENGE YOU'D BETTER DIG TWO GRAVES

 

 

Profit Making War
****

We're kicking ass, not taking names.
We don't care who you are.
We plan to make things to go our way.
(And) We don’t mind leaving scars.

We don't care what religion,
What color, race or creed.
We're not motivated by prejudice.
We're motivated by greed.

We’ll overthrow your government
If we can make a buck.
We know you may not like this,
But we don't give a fuck.

We travel over seas and back
Bombing every day.
But when we're back at home again,
We choose a different way.
~

We don't bomb people here at home.
It ruins infrastructure.
Besides, you might get pissed and then
Disrupt our power structure.

Instead we just intimidate
And suck up your resources.
Now we sell you SUVs.
Soon you’ll just ride horses.

But not until we make you buy
Every drop of oil.
If we did it any sooner,
Our plans would all be foiled.

Our mission is to take control
Of every buck we can.
Then use those bucks to make more bucks.
It's really quite a scam.
~

We're not in this to be nice guys.
So this warning, you should heed.
We plan to take all we can get
And satisfy our greed.

We find it entertaining
That our tactics make you cower.
It really makes this quest more fun.
It feeds our lust for Power.

(So) Don't go getting in our way
Because we don't give out hugs.
We'll find you out. We’ll hunt you down.
And squash you all like bugs.

You're just a bunch of pawns to us
In this chess game you call life.
We’ve got you where we want you,
Locked in stress and strife.

Too overwhelmed to take the time
To see what we’re really doing;
Devastating life abroad
While here at home pursuing

All the money you can make
To finance this great chore.
Our ultimate creation,
Profit Making War.

~~~

 

The Revolution Starts Here
****

The Revolution starts Where ?

Certainly not in Poetry…
That’s just Silly.

I mean...
Can you imagine ?

It’s not like
There have been Poets
For Hundreds of Years, Thousands of Years
Voicing their Opinions, Speaking their Truths.

It’s not like
Thousands of Poets
In Hundreds of Publications
All Across the Globe
Just Speak Up And Speak Out.

Poetry is Gentle
Soothing.

It’s all about
Flowers and Love.

Soft things, Pretty things.

Poetry is
NEVER LOUD
and NEVER CONFRONTATIONAL !

Poetry does not Criticize (Those Idiots)

Or Condemn (Them Bastards)

You would Never hear something like…

“We sent him off to Washington
armed to kill The Beast.
Instead, he joined him
in his lair
and shared his stolen feast.

Our man has joined The Beast
that he was sent there to destroy.
Now the beast is bigger
and he is stealing all our toys.”

These are not the words of a Poet.

No Sir…

There is Nothing here about
Roses of Red and Violets of Blue.
Nothing Soft and Gentle in these words.

These are probably the words of
Subversives,
Revolutionaries
Or “Hippie Pinko Queers”
(as Spiro Agnew would say)

No my friends,
Poetry is NOT where you find Revolution.

Unless you look !

~~~

 

The Scales of Justice
****

I bought a ‘Scales of Justice’
at a local Wal-Mart Store.
I brought them home to weigh
the pros and cons of waging war.

I put the Red White and Blue
on one side of the rail,
along with a Christian crucifix.
Then on the other side of the scale

I put the victims of Afghanistan,
the victims of Iraq,
the MIA's from Vietnam
who never did come back.

I put the pain and misery
of the families who were broken
when we sent their loved ones off to war
like little pawns and tokens.
~

The weight was quickly shifting
to this one side of the scale.
Passing any sense of balance,
it really told a tale.

The scale then hit the bottom.
There was nowhere left to go.
But I still had to add the agony…
the suffering… and sorrow...

Of all the wounded soldiers
on our side and the others;
the Moms and Daughters, Sons and Dads,
our Sisters… and my Brother.

The poets who would never write,
the singers’... Sounds of Silence,
Art and Culture, Hopes and Dreams,
destroyed in senseless violence.

All because we allow ourselves
to be led by selfish leaders;
by our churches’ and our government's
professional bullshit feeders.

The powerful 'spin doctors'
who deceive us all with lies
and get us to believe
that it's OK for Them to die.

It's OK to send this suffering
half way around the world.
It's OK that it comes back in coffins
draped with flags unfurled.
~

The scales fell off the table
and crashed down to the floor.
The contents strewn across the room;
the scales could take no more.

It was not a pretty picture
but the truth was there to see;
the scales, the flag, the cross, the bodies,
the pain and misery.
~

If our country truly is as great
as we like to say it is,
it’s time we listen to the truth
and not just to ‘show biz’.

Let’s let go of our prejudice
and then reel in our pride.
Look behind the veil of deceit
and stop trying to hide.

We can only fix what's wrong
if we take an honest look.
Then choose a new direction
instead of reading the same old book.

Let's write a whole new chapter.
(Heck) Let's write a whole new story.
Let's lead our nation and our selves
to an age of peace and glory.

‘May Peace Prevail’ in this great land.
‘May Peace Prevail’ on Earth.
May we all experience the joyful bliss
of consciousness re-birthed.

We are one extended family
on a small endangered planet;
Brothers, Sisters, Cousins.
Let’s ALL try to understand it.

One people all across the globe,
we share One sun and sky.
Let us choose to work for lasting peace,
together… side by side.

~~~

 

Peace on Earth
****

Why can’t we have Peace on Earth ?
We’ve prayed for it for years.
Season after season
We pray right through our fears.

We watch the evening newscast.
We read the morning paper.
We look at all the problems
And wish they would get better.

We think about the president
And all his mighty men.
They’re kicking ass around the world.
But still the wars don’t end.

We have such mighty armies,
The Navy and Marines.
We’ve got the biggest bombers
And sneaky submarines.

We got nukes and smart bombs
And even guided missiles,
Tomahawks and Black Hawks
And probably poison thistle.

Our generals go to War College
To learn to be the best.
(So) Why can’t we have peace on earth
By beating all the rest ?

But we’ve tried that now for many years.
At times, we thought it worked.
But war came back time and again.
And sometimes, it got worse.
~

Perhaps we should try something new,
More like what we’re after.
Something more like peace I guess.
Something more like laughter.

We could all laugh at our selves
For acting proud and foolish.
Acting more like bullies,
Than being golden rule-ish.

We don’t do unto others
As we would have them do.
We do what we damn well please,
And that’s give them the screw.
~

Then they blow up our buildings
And bomb our subways too.
They start to act like bullies
Just the way we do.

Please don’t get me wrong here.
I’m not just shifting blame.
We are not the only bad guys.
We’re all acting the same.

We focus on the wrong things
To find what we are seeking.
You have to look for what you want
Not just for where it’s leaking.

So start to look for goodness,
For Love and Joy and Peace.
Find it first within your self
And then feel the release

Of anger and resentment,
Of panic, fear and pain.
Feel the Peace well up in side.
Then reach for it again.

Peace can always be here
If we hold it in our heart.
It can spread around the world
And we can help it start.

Let’s all practice daily
And see how fast it spreads.
We’ll start to feel more joy in life
Instead of feeling dread.

When we focus on our joy
War will have to cease,
As all the love we feel inside
Transforms into Peace.

Others then can learn from us.
And Peace will start to grow.
From friend to friend and neighbor,
From these new seeds that we sow.

Soon we’ll all be ‘Being Love’
And Peace will reign supreme.
‘Peace on Earth’ will be for real.
And not just in our dreams

~~~

 

 

 

 

 

...So always in your mind See the beauty of this place And always in your heart Know that this is 'Sacred Space' ~~~ -- From the poem Sacred Space Being Love / Estar Enamorado by Jay Ross

 

 

 

 

 

Move with Love and Love will surround you.
Go in peace and peace will be yours.

Jay

Dabney-Rose.com

Fragrance
by
Dabney Rose


I don't ride to be one of the boys!

Being Love
(a book by Jay Ross)

No Matter What
We've Learned
(Jay's latest book)