24/7 cycle news.
Despicable words
spewed from bully pulpits
met by rabid voices
raised to group-think.
24/7 cycle news.
Despicable acts,
violence stacked on violence.
Horrific acts
met by thoughts and prayers.
Put my mind at ease.
Find my quiet space.
Is now the time?
Accept teleprompter words
and be tomorrow like yesterday?
Where is the movement?
The push and shove
and marching and . . .
what?
Where is our energy . . .
to demand better?
To say enough is enough
and mean it,
do it,
live it.
Reckoning.
Power is born
when one joins one
joins one joins one
becomes many.
In this litany of hate
of otherism,
I shall seek a way
to make a difference.
Demand a difference.
I shall . . .
step out of my safe space.
Beginning here,
on this page,
because . . .
Written for Tuesday Poetics at dVerse, the virtual pub for poets. Today Linda asks us to “think about things you do to put your mind at peace: pray, meditate, write, etc. Given the state of this country today, I just couldn’t go there . . . I can’t get there. Pub opens at 3 PM Boston time.
lillian the home poet 
“The places of quiet are going away, the churches, the woods, the libraries. And it is only in silence we can hear the voice inside of us which gives us true peace.” ― James Rozoff
I leave you this quote that began my haibun for this prompt.
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Your voice in this is so powerful Lillian.And perhaps not peace, but most certainly mindfulness.Thank you, truly.
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I’m afraid I agree with you. There is no time for navel-gazing, we have to change our ways, clean up our act and realise once and for all, we’re all in this together, there is no Planet B and stop the massacres, not only of our own species but the entire world ecosystem.
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Amen, Jane. I have been brainstorming today…and tomorrow I shall make a practical short list of actions I can take. Time to get off my duff and put actions where my heart is.
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We all have to, and it means giving up more than we’ll be happy about, but there’s no alternative. It could be the making of us as a species, mankind working together for peace and the planet instead of blasting and bombing across every frontier.
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Our minds run in similar ranges. I, too, as as my way, wanted to write yet another diatribe against the darkness of our world, but alas, I started to write, and introspection took over. I applaud your resolve; good luck with that.
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I agree. My first thought on reading the prompt was “not today.”
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I like your description of those voices on 24/7 “raised to group-think”.
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I feel your intensity and outrage! Yes, it is very hard to go to that calm quiet place when all this is going through your mind.
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This is mindfulness of another sort, and it is most fitting.
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this is filled with truth
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I agree with you and Jane, but we do need to think before we act – together.
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We all need to work for peace!
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Have those of good will finally had enough? I hope so…
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As you saw from my quadrille this week, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the world. thank you for this call to arms. I’d be fascinated to see your list of actions…
Anyway, this was a great description of righteous anger. Anger can be a force for good, I do believe that.
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Strong message Lillian. I pray we all join in sending a stronger message of love and hope.
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Smiles One might Hope that Church is an
Answer but Sadly it is the Problem of Group
Think After a Blessing of Food in an After
Party of Church i listened to Everyone Praise
The Pro-Active Stance of Republicans against
Those Who Are
Different
Who Struggle for
The Gift of Freedom
no longer taking it
for Granted as sadly
Citizens here often do..
And then a Woman Said
The Democrats ‘Did it’ this
in the only way they will take
Trump Down.. and then one
Person was brave enough
to Say He Didn’t Like
Trump Keeping in
Mind i was the
only so
called
‘Liberal’
in the Entire Room
of about 20 Folks..
And then i stood Up
And Said What Would Jesus
Do true Just a Story But Never
the Less of one who empties His pockets
Socialist as ‘Hell’ Living off the Open Hands
up of Love only Shaking dust off his Feet where
not welcome in a World of Give and Share more
Than Take and Hoard A Gift of Love Enough in Return
Smiles my Friend
there was a day
i would have
likely Been
Pulverized
to the
Ground
with hate
if i did such a
Thing no longer Thin
And Weak called the
F Word at School and
Not the Fred Word by
Onward Christian Soldier
Bully Boys hoping to erase
Smiles and Empathy from the
World as taught this way by Big
Daddies at Home.. true at the City
Park Smiles are Not allowed Boys
don’t get to smile that way in Pews of Church either in the Seventies…
Then It’s true where i live you practically Have to become Superman
to fight back with Ballet a Graceful Dance in Public now 11,733
Miles funny how people treat you different when a Lamb of Love
becomes a Lion of Love at 240 LBS at 59.. Leg Pressing 1340 LBS..
18 Reps at Ease.. true that’s how i warm up at the Military Gym i have
no Real Male Friends there Except for a Retired Captain in the
Military who fought in the Jungles of Vietnam Where all
Bleed Equal..
and that’s
okay
for i
will stand
up for Love
and no one will beat me down now..
smile my Friend no one said a thing
they just left the room and or shut-up
except for the one Man Brave Enough
to say enough is enough My Wife’s Sister’s
Husband the closest Human to a ‘Man’ there my Friend..
What’s at Stake Everything Wisdom Freedom Love Truth
And The Only Home We Have Now Earth Beauty Heaven
Real for those
who do it..
Thanks
Lillian
A Very
Inspiring
Poem you Bring
This is THE turning
Point of Human History
if more People don’t board
on a Ship of Love the Species
will definitely sink soon and sooner
taking 1 in 8 of All Animal And Plant
Species to Extinction in the Next few
Decades if those Species are unfortunate
enough to see Human Cultures Survive
True it’s not the Human Ape that is the
Problem it is the Tools We Have become the
Deadly
Virus
of
Cultures Now..:)
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Exactly as you write it!
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