SISTER TO SPRING

Sister to Spring?s delight,
image of tenderness so sincere,
your radiance borrows the blue flaming dawn
as it floats before my vision.

What feats of blossoms
a spray accomplishes as it wakes
in their bright garden lair,
our souls blessed with being loved.

Listen to the birds
singing in the sunshine,
or observe the obscure things
that makes discoveries.

Margy, observe my love sickened heart,
place my head on your lap
and let my heart know peace.
This poet watches his wife sleep

while the curious light quietly peers
through the lace curtained window
at her beautiful still form,
with her eyelash shadows lightly touching her cheek.

Marvelous Nature allies with her
and feel joy just being near her presence.
The sharp gaze of twin eyes merge
how the room brightens

I see her familiar voluptuous body
unencumbered by clothes,
as she draws me into her dreams
like a contemporary Penelope.









    STOLEN THUNDER
I was sitting singing at the feet of Jesus,
Chuang-Tzu had closed the gate to the emerald garden;
Buddha slept in his dazzling celestial sepulcher;
and both the holy and humble teacher and I
wept in our dreams for the Earth.


When Shiva rose in flaming clouds
and from Heaven fell three voices invoking atonement;
He had already joined, from on High, with Gabriel;
Michael submissively bowed his head,
beneath His gentle loving eyes.

Here come the four Horsemen, Hunger, Warfare, Pestilence and Death,
the blaze of Baghdad, the blade of Attila,
the guns of Hitler, and the last George Jr.
roaring in the sulfur smelling (uranium) powder smoke

such men carry them
bloody eyes pointed towards Sheol,
my own presence among them is ignored;
But, the U.S. iron-triangle has stolen our thunder.



    OR, ELSE
He was my self proclaimed enemy,
who vowed he?d have my head.
I read of events that proved their spiritual death,
yesterday and then, this afternoon in the desert
they made of this once free and flourishing nation,
I saw their carefully placed beggars,
you know the ones with placards
that they leave standing alone at the red lights.

A stark reminder, of their abuse of power,
a living sign, Beware!  Do what we say or else!
See this homeless man, heed our lesson in coercion,
what an example of extortion.
Who can dare ignore us,
when we can hurt anyone;
we were spying on you,
your humanity leaves you vulnerable.

Become a base self-serving sycophant,
or at least a duplicitous hypocrite,
who?s savvy enough to take care of their family
and corrupt enough to get ahead.
And, while you?re at it,
look at the desolation and despair
that has, in your wake, swept across
the land of the brave, and home of the free.



                                                        BORN
Born among your wreckage,
evening of rain scrubbed skies
and limpid twilight.                                                                                    
The Heaven quietly grieves,
sorrowful trees tremble, their petals
rotting in muddy little ruts.

Exiled from the living,
a vagrant heart,
I?m beyond the arbitrary bigoted limit.

For the gracious gifts
of intellect and language,
I pay like Prometheus.

Lord, wake me
from the land of the spiritual dead.
Each has taken their house, car and T.V.
their mated hate.

Thou hast seen within me,
in the inner most recesses of my heart
at your alter a flame burns bright and happy.

I see the desolation
in the darkness behind their eyes                            
and in their black bowels.

I am only a man
blessed by Your love.
                                                                                                        PORTLAND BALLAD
In Portland they tap the barrels
stumblingly on the green grass of Waterfront Park,
past the red and white    tent topped eateries, each week a new fete,
below the iron fenced, refuse filled alleys,
    while the commuters and cars,
    in the tree lined streets,
bury repose beneath noise and pollution.

Apple colored trolleys swish by
as they wisk their disinterested passengers beneath blue oblivion
bumbling sibilants down concrete corridors on steel lined  parallel ruts
that converge in a never arriving future.
          Alongside the mysterious silver surfaced river
          Hear the music blare from loudspeakers
From each electric lit shout of notice me.

O cacophony, muse of lyric and contention
hoarse throated mistress of guitars and saxophones
let be your sibilant consonants, your decrescendoed diphthongs
stacattoed stop plosives, and piano fortissimo vowels.
          My head nods dreamily
          syllables and phonemes float glistening rainbow bubbles of sound
serenaded by susurrus balladeers and poets.




                        THE STEEL WORKER
The steelworker whistles, his wrench in hand, on the airy scaffold,
so high that people look like two legged insects in the street below
and the bold freedom loving verse over the entrance to the Courthouse disappears
in the gray obscurity of this river city of churches and bridges.

He sees gargoyle decorated gutters send off water cascading down from rooftops
into a confused abyss of blind windows, cafes, galleries
and steel grids, where the stained concrete covered ground
receives the water being vomited into the dark city sewers.

He sees the squat rectangle national guard that fenced and barricaded
building that puffs up like a holiday bird baking in the oven, the palatial residences
with their long winding driveways and landscaped yards,
and the worn out public parks overflowing with litter and shadows.

The National Guard are stationed in the suburbs.  Down there a policeman
directs traffic.  The steel worker takes off his hard hat
that?s decaled with a red, white and blue flag,
and he wipes his wet sweat beaded brow.

What he sees are a variety of patriotic flags barely visible
plastered on the back of vehicles traveling on gray ribbon roads,
and idyll factories with empty parking lots
being reclaimed by blossoming brambles and recycled weeds.

And, towards early evening, when the steeple was already sleeping peacefully
with its head bowed down, from the lift he caught sight of a house,
in a distant run down neighborhood,
whose occupants had been set up - for pleasure and profit.

It was isolated and surrounded by police
who were storming the front door,
breaking it in like something on T.V..
The scene was lit up by flames and spot lights, a comet burning in the blue.




                  EMPYREAN BLUE
A red feathery fire
dances over the West Hills
in the deep blue sea of sleep.

A sweet, wanton wind
blows from the pale faced moon                
insolently disturbing the early morning silence.

And creeping across the Cascades,
Dawn comes a maiden
painting the jocular clouds with every shade of pastel.

I was born at night, early in the morning,
I?ll die at night, too-
Which is why I am one of life?s beautiful people - a dreamer!

And, I have a heart full of sunsets,
whose lips are happy to be kissed just by you - woman;
you who wait, while I fly off into the empyrean blue.                        



                    TODAY?S KEEPER
               -A personal note of thanks-
The Oregon Symphony, so to speak, is the keeper of the musical muse,
where kind denizens are elevated above mundane feelings
by a spot lighted stage flooded with fiddling, percussions and horns;
and, beautiful pellucid battlements of music are built up.

In formal attire you wave your baton,
as hands eloquently express at the speed of sound;
a jewel who will never disgrace its house
wings out into the garden with one powerful stroke.

We see extremist fanatics staring down from their seats,
and the legions of decent guardian angels, visions of benevolence;
and then the standing ovations enough to rouse the Elysian fields,
with Lindberg?s performance of Sandstrom & Beethoven?s piano concerto cycle.

The Oregon Symphony!  The art of happier times!
When clouds of smoke floated above bubbles of Champaign,
cabs raced up Broadway, we whistled lyrical motifs
and if there was any enmity, it was against Communists.

Travel junkets, borrowed condos, bounties of corrupting payoffs turned cops eyes green;
again, families owned houses for generations, as the American dream died &
                                                                                        American labor was 3rd worldized;
only the radical right moved around, while the rest of us lived and died;
and, if anything blew sky high the radical right was behind it organized and international.

How wonderful, in the evening, to watch maestro DePriest and listen to the symphony.
A large, gracious man, his amazing talent so effortlessly evident!
The intense concentration, as he leans forward to conduct the orchestra
with his expressive hands that flit like a pair of birds,

which create a whirlwind of sound: such as the soul hungers for from blind  fate;
and, that enable us to loose ourselves in beauty, & forget for a brief moment
the young dreams that die, like flowers lost in Winter?s freezing embrace.
If one is blessed enough to retire, why not pleasantly on the sunny Mediterranean?




RUMOR MILL

    In this issue the Rumor Mill intends to apply all of its modest intellectual powers to  reason through two very important recent events.  The first, is another tax cut for the rich, which is yet, it believes, another example of the radical right Republican?s incomprehensibly incompetent fiscal policy.  This poorly designed tax cut could not be implemented at a worse time, because the U.S. is currently experiencing World record shattering budget deficits.  And, it demonstrates that the Republican fiscal policy is guided by ignorance and avarice rather than reason and prudence.  It is with great consternation that the Rumor Mill feels compelled to make such harsh criticisms, but considering the fact that by now even this administration should be able to comprehend that wars of this scale and tax cuts for the wealthy, which leave the majority of its citizens substantively unaffected don?t beneficially effect the economy.  And, worse is the fact that they seem to be aware that there measures are ineffectual at best, because they cynically keep trying to time their tax measures to encouraging economic news from the NAPM index, which would leave them in a position to take credit for improvements in the economy that may occur in spite of rather than as a result of their best/worst efforts.  The second event is also authored by the radical right Republicans and if true is a clear violation of human rights. In George Jr.?s home state of Texas, an improper exercise in domestic espionage of political opponents and a subsequent cover up has transpired; and,  when confirmed by an independent investigation, will prove to be another example of the radical right Republicans engaging in gross improprieties. This sequence of events is strikingly similar  to the ones which surrounded the Watergate scandal, which warranted the impeachment of the then Republican President.  The Republican political figure said to be responsible for this criminal activity is Tom DeLay.  Unfortunately, it seems that both he and the good citizens of this country deserve an opportunity, in the form of an investigation, to successfully resolve this matter.  However, George Jr. and the Republicans have successfully avoided all previous efforts at investigating important events, like the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and so the opportunity to clear Tom DeLay will most likely be lost.  Behavior that avoids investigations always tend to imply that there is misconduct that needs to be covered up.  Why else would an investigation be avoided, which would be helpful in clarifying a situation and determining how public business ought to proceed. What is not clear is whether or not the U.S. is still up to the task of defending itself from these two types of domestic transgressions.

    REPUBLICANS PASS $800 BILLION IN ANNUAL BUDGET DEFICITS
 
    The Republican tax cut is nothing more than a measure designed to increase U.S. annual BUDGET DEFICITS by $800 BILLION.  What else can possible be the effect of reducing government revenues, when the U.S. is already currently experiencing annual World record setting National Budget Deficits, which are greatly exacerbated with its two recent fraudulent exercises in military  adventurism.  Contemporary examples of gunboat diplomacy, they were supposed to put the U.S. economy on the road to recovery by putting our economy on a war time basis.  As economic strategies they have failed miserably and resulted in over extending U.S. global commitments, unnecessarily bleeding the U.S. economy, increasing our trade deficits and adding to the largest national debt in the history of the world.  And, in terms of corruption and wanton waste,  we find ourselves being asked by the Republicans to spend billions, ear marked to companies who have records of financially backing the  Republican Party, to rebuild an oil rich OPEC country like Iraq who has, according to local Iraq officials quoted on alternative news sources on internet, ?plenty of money for everything.?.  As pointed out on previous essays, this otherwise inexplicably irresponsible behavior does create an illusionary impression that the U.S. can not afford necessary domestic programs, which the Republicans hope to transform into an indirect assault on Social Security and Medicare, two programs they hope to privatize.  
The industrial military have benefited from these theatrical military productions.
First, they replace the flow of cold war funds.  Second, the debt that they helped generate will enable them to replace the reduced levels of military spending, with annually renewable revenues which the privatized entitlement programs would represent.  Third, it has provided the industrial military with a source of income during the Republican generated three year depression.  Fourth, control of Iraq?s oil and natural gas reserves and revenues have been successfully maintained without disruption during the entire transition period from a puppet strongman sovereign state to a puppet democratic state, which is hoped will head off the formation of another Shiite Muslim State.  The radical right factional interests have made money, while distracting the American public during the current depression.
In terms of legitimate U.S. foreign policy objectives, what has the George Jr. team and the Republican gang accomplished with its foreign policy?   We?ve made history in a number of ways.  George Jr and his Republican accomplices have for the first time attacked and invaded a sovereign state.  George Jr. and his Republican henchmen have had the U.N., an institution populated with countries who have historically been U.S. allies, remove us from the election monitoring committee and human rights violations comities.  George Jr. and his Republican cohorts have made us the most feared country in the world.  In Asia S. Korea now fears us more than N. Korea.  In Europe Bush Jr. is viewed as the single biggest threat to world peace. George Jr. and Republicans have dissolved more international treaties than any other nation in history.  And, in the worst performance in managing foreign policy in the history of this country George Jr. and his Republican gang in less than 1 year, since we were held with such great sympathy after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, managed to bungle us into the position of the most resented country in the world.  After fighting what many believe to be two staged events, where are Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, neither were ever captured.  It would seem that George Jr. and the Republicans have an aversion to investigating events and capturing potentially embarrassing opponents/allies.  And, in the meantime all Afghanistan war (?) prisoners are conveniently and expensively kept in isolation from the media and U.S. public in Cuba.  George Jr. and the Republican Party have demonstrated quite a record of incompetence with their list of accomplishments in the domain of foreign affairs.
 And, what do we the people of the U.S.A. get from our two supposedly phony wars and record breaking national debt?  The following is a list of recent Republican accomplishments.  Every economic indicator has turned down, from the once thriving Democratic lead American economy, since George Jr. and the Republicans entered the Presidential office.  We?ve already mentioned transforming the Democrat?s balanced budget into the World?s largest debt surpassing even his father George Sr. and Pres. Reagon?s dismal record, when they created one of the two biggest depressions during the last century.  An all time record number of George Jr.?s Republican administrative appointees have violated the law and kept their stock investments.  George Jr. has regularly awarded convicted Republican criminals government contracts.  We experienced the largest stock market fraud case of any market in the world.  George Jr.?s biggest campaign contributor presided over the largest bankruptcy fraud case.  George Jr. and the Republicans received the most cooperate donations in history of the U.S..  George Jr. and the Republicans have conducted more polls and focus groups, with our tax payer money, than any other U.S. president.  George Jr. and the Republicans almost doubled the number of people who have no health insurance, cut U.S. veterans insurance, and eliminated guaranteed Medicare coverage.  George Jr. and the Republicans made extensive cuts to education.  George Jr. and the Republicans cut vocational training programs during their depression.  Under George Jr. and the Republicans ALL  50 STATES WENT BANKRUPT SIMULTANEOUSLY!!!  George Jr. and the Republicans cut unemployment during the Republican created depression.  George Jr. and the Republicans cut rural development programs.   George Jr. and the Republicans couldn?t develop one lead in the anthrax killer case after 1 ½ years of investigating the case.  But, George Jr. and the Republicans did create the biggest bureaucracy in history.  
    In spite of the two phony wars and the Republican?s incredible list of accomplishments, the depression has hurt the factional interests of the radical right.  The tax cut represents an attempt to compensate for reduced revenue flows to the super wealthy, whose numbers include members of the ruling elite of the radical right.  They?ve had to throw a few scraps at the lower classes to make their tax objectives politically viable, but tens of millions of Americans get either no benefit at all or such a small benefit as to make no significant impact on their family budgets.  The Republican Tax plans, with their huge cuts for the wealthy, are poor plans if they hope to rejuvenate the economy with them, and they are extremely unfair.  If, the wealthy receive the greatest benefits from living in the United States of America, and they do; then, its only fair that they should contribute their fair share to the programs that they?ve benefited directly and indirectly from, and that have helped create the society that made their pleasant lives possible.   Another point worth making relating to the Republican Tax Plan is that it exposed the myth of a pluralistic Republican Party, they not only all read from the same page they goose stepped in time while doing so.  To pass the ill advised Tax measure they had the benefit of ?every? Republican vote.  There was not one dissenting vote that I?m aware of.  Government by Republican faction transforms Democracies from programs by people for all of its citizens into programs for the exclusive benefit of a few at the expense of the many - all characteristic of a tyranny.
Finally, the Rumor Mill believes that the Republican backed radical right factional interests benefit from phony wars, by artificially creating profits which are then partially invested in the safe, modest returning national debt instruments.  If military spending for defense isn?t available, and it won?t be for two reasons, then the alternative of privatized social security and medicare become a very attractive means of obtaining substitute free rides, on the backs of the American public.  However,  the reason war isn?t perceived as attractive, in spite of the built in advantages just discussed, is that contemporary warfare is ruinously expensive, thus our most recent wars are scaled down affairs; and, war today creates economic and social dislocations that are unpredictable, and greater than the short term benefits, and potentially dangerous to the factional interests of the radical right.
Further, the Rumor Mill believes that the terrorist alternatives afford better potential than war for furthering the private objectives of the radical right.  When the radical right controls all active participants involved in local and regional conflicts, which they are publicly committed to doing, by contemporary invasive technologies and traditional espionage techniques, then the potential presents itself of being able to manipulate democracies and their terrorists counter parts into compromising their goals. And, by surreptitiously displacing the participants goals, they are able to overtly advance their own.  The naïve and easily controllable Democracies can replace the now obsolete and more expensive dictatorships, which allow the false impression to be developed that the people?s democracies are prevailing against oppression and terrorist threats, when in reality they are being cynically manipulated by the factional interests of the radical right in pursuit of their private objectives, which the public are not even aware of.  Under their control even dissension and demonstrations are carefully controlled by trained professional operatives, to further the radical right?s factional objectives, along with all other aspects of life, in this totalitarian model with a democratic façade.  A variety of political bases can be cultivated and manipulated, in this fascist fashion, with all civil rights and economic concerns subordinate to the controlling dominate factional interests of the day.  Unfortunately, the power elite will inexorably be confronted with inherent morally degenerative influences, and the subordinate masses, who will have to be conditioned for the oppressive model to work, will inevitably become either base subservient sycophants, or equally base hypocrites, or extremely frustrated unhappy individuals.  Active participation that insists on absolute subordination (your either with us or against us) will place idiomatic blinders on active members, who will be gradually warped by ever more extreme measures.  Until, all vice including such abhorrent behaviors as torture, murder, perversion, rape, prostitution and child abuse will be embraced as acceptable expedients, as eventually vice will have to attack virtue in order for the self-serving delusions to continue being perpetrated.  This may seem to be a bit futuristic, to those unfamiliar with the full range of radical right activities; however, to those unfortunate individuals involved, recognition will be impaired unless they are fortunate enough to be able to become removed from active participation.  Then, the opportunity will be possible, for a small percentage of people who have the intellectual capacity and moral integrity, to be able to objectively perceive and comprehend the significance of what their personal experiences, with this populist movement have meant.
Confirmation of our decent down the slippery slope toward totalitarianism may be available. The behavior that Republican, Tom DeLay is charged with indicates a serious state of corruption already exists, and if proven would represent a milestone on the journey; when he requested and received help from the Justice Department and Federal Aviation Administration, in tracking down for politically motivated reasons members of the Democratic Party.  It is further alleged that Mr. DeLay improperly utilized the Homeland Security Act to violate our Civil Rights, to track political opponents at great public expense.  And, finally, when participants in these illegal violations of our Civil Rights became aware that their misconduct had been discovered, they deliberately destroyed all public records from the Texas Department of Public Safety in an effort to prevent themselves from being publicly exposed.  What prudence and propriety now necessitate is a public investigation.  Tom DeLay deserves an opportunity to clear his reputation, and, the American public deserves an opportunity to get to the bottom of these allegations.  Unfortunately, George Jr. and the Republicans have created the impression that they are covering misconduct up, by preventing any public investigations.  Those of us who are old enough to remember Watergate witnessed an unfortunate failing of an American President and his administration, when they spied on U.S. citizens and then attempted to cover up their criminal conduct.  During those troubled times, we were able to see a generation of men and women rise to the occasion and successfully defend our Democratic institutions and American way of life.  And, we witnessed what started out sadly, as an example of human failure for a Republican President; end in the reaffirmation of our U.S. Constitution and a triumph for our Civil Rights, in what became one of this nations finest hours.
Historically, a ?real? Democracy has been an essential part of our cultural heritage.  In it is found the corner stone of all our many God given and man made blessings: LIBERTY.  However, with each passing generation they must prove themselves; as a people, worthy and re-earn their civil rights, central to which are Liberty and Equality, in order to enjoy their many varied blessings; and, ever vigilante against foreign and, its more dangerous counter part because being so close at hand its often not recognized until to late, domestic encroachment of their most valuable national treasure.  Fortunately, we are provided with certain questions that function as guide lines, to help provide us with a reality check in our times of need to objectively measure the status of the health of our Democracy.   Are we tolerant of diversity?  Tyrannies are not, they take the extreme and irrational position that only their beliefs are permissible.   Are we equally zealous in protecting the rights of our minorities?  Tyrannies do not, for they believe that every one should subordinate their opinions to the tyranny/will of the majority, in opinions which they carefully manufacture right down to and including the beliefs of ?acceptable? dissidents.  And, is our government conducted by the people for the people?  Tyrannies are not, they are designed by a deceitful few for the exclusive benefit of a small number of privileged individuals, at the expense of an unwary many.
Today, are we as a nation up to the task?  Can we stem in time the rising tide of extremism - no matter how powerful?  No matter how blind and well intending?  Do we have the perspicuity of our forefathers?  Do we have their will?  In the hearts of Americans will we still find the good intentions of a good and honorable people?  Or, has it fallen another blighted victim of intolerance and ignorance, hatred and fear?  History contains many lessons, it is littered with human failures and adorned with humans successes.  Will we demonstrate to future generations the wisdom to leave a legacy intact, of confident trust in our children in the right of individuals, of being capable and in the best position, to determine for themselves, what is reasonable and right; and, what it is that best promotes their prosperity and happiness, to the extent that it doesn?t deny that same fundamental right to the next person.  Or, will we fall prey to treacherous tyranny and unmanly cowardice, and leave the future generations of this once great nation enslaved.  Will the blind fate of future American generations become base, to be chained to today?s fashionable prejudices and future malicious bigotries, all done for the best possible pretenses and most emotional excuses.  Join with me in demanding a reaffirmation of our Civil Rights.  Join with me in demanding an investigation of the truth.  



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