The Poetic Political
Fumings of a Feisty Feminist
Making waves of change, one poem at a time.
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What will it finally take? How many have to die? Until you’ll fix the problem As the gun deaths multiply. Women, children, babies These innocent lives are lost How much is a life really worth When the NRA decides the cost. They use John Lott’s fake studies His “facts” are quite untrue But facts don’t really matter In the hatred that they spew. And yet you say you’re pro-life But that doesn’t mean a thing The monumental hypocrisy Within the alt-right wing. As the corpses pile up And the death toll steadily climbs We wait for your response As they chalk the body lines. And so we wait… And wait… And wait… But each day’s a day too late. Between the Las Vegas massacre and the First Baptist Church slaughter in Texas just over a month apart…nothing continues to change with regards to gun reform.
https://thinkprogress.org/debunking-john-lott-5456e83cf326/ https://www.mediamatters.org/blog/2013/10/28/gun-researcher-john-lott-offers-false-firearm-s/196621 http://www.factcheck.org/2012/12/gun-rhetoric-vs-gun-facts/ CDC has been wary of studying gun issues after NRA lobbyists convinced Congress to cut into its funding after a series of studies in the mid-1990s were viewed by the NRA as advocating for gun control. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/us/26guns.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
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Anger is my arsenal This pen my lethal weapon As I raise my voice to fight This political armageddon. A war wrought with destruction Of innocent observers Saving victims of this violence With verbal life-preservers. It’s all I have to offer It’s all I have to give. These words This poem My honesty In hopes that we may live Free of bloodied bullets And of suffocating fear Unsure what lies ahead Our future is unclear. Without new regulations To fix this thriving issue Deaths from growing gun violence Will exponentially continue My scribbles scream for help Its frantic pleas forsaken Trusting you to keep us safe We were thoroughly mistaken. This poem is dedicated to every politician that has refused to pass responsible gun legislation and is a voice for those who will die in the days ahead because of our leaders incompetence, willful ignorance, and greed.
I wrote this poem after trying to explain the Sandy Hook School shooting to my ten year old son. Tears were streaming down my cheek as he looked at me and said, "How do they (politicians/leaders) sleep at night?" I had no answer. How do you sleep
At night in your bed? Why aren't you haunted By those who are dead? Your silence speaks volumes Its reticence of action. The NRA’s funding Your deadly transaction. By distorting the words Within our constitution. You wipe your hands clean In hopes of absolution. But the dead are still dead Thanks to your stagnation. Ensuring your campaign Gets the gun lobby’s donation. And just what do I tell My child this time? How do I explain Violent gun crimes? As I tuck him in And I kiss his head I pray that he won’t End up dead. I hope that you will finally see. Your silence creates casualties. As I watched the documentary “Gunned Down”, I heard Mark Kelly (Gabby Gifford’s husband), talk about seeing Gabby lying in the hospital bed as a single, bloody red tear fell down her cheek. A bloody red tear
Slid down her cheek On a hospital bed She lay frail and weak. Shot in the head Attempted assassination A victim of violence That shocked our nation. Six others were killed Including Judge Roll And a 9 yr old girl, A beautiful soul. These innocent lives Were taken away, Mental illness had caused His mind to decay Jared Lee Loughner Sentenced to life in prison Gabby Giffords made gun reform Her one major mission. If only our leaders Had passed legislation Before it happened So as to avoid this situation And yet here we are With no laws to protect us While we wait for the next Attack that’s horrendous http://www.starpulse.com/gabrielle-giffords-inside-her-courageous-recovery-from-an-assassinatio-1848206809.html A vile disease is killing us
*One of the top 5 causes of death The number is even higher Than those who die from meth. The AMA has called it A “public health crisis” And yet it isn’t either A bacteria or a virus. Killing at alarming rates Black men its greatest victims Each day it takes a hundred lives Yet has no signs or symptoms. Scientists are banned From doing any research We can only wait and watch As the rising death tolls surge. Children and women killed In alarming numbers too. Feeling helpless and abandoned As our lawmakers refuse To take a stand to stop it Or try to prevent its spread. Our government’s neglect As more of us drop dead. Our politicians are paid To look the other way From the scores of people dying Each and every day. An epidemic only found Within the USA The execution of our country Thanks to the NRA. *http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2017/01/gun-violence-research-public-health/ We overlook these words Within our Constitution As the NRA would rather View guns as the solution Ensuring every man alive Can buy a ton of guns Protecting all we own And even our loved ones Except it doesn’t work that way When a gun is in your home You’ll most likely get shot by it A weapon's effect syndrome. Women and children hurt By the guns you choose to keep But the price you’ll have to pay for it Is undeniably far too steep. A well-regulated militia Has been thoroughly defined But rather we ignore it At the risk to all mankind. And I am left to wonder Where is this brave militia? As you stock pile all your weapons, And unlimited ammunition. There is no regulation For it has been neglected By those who we’ve elected To keep us ALL protected. https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/get-psyched/201301/the-weapons-effect
Noah, Jack, Madeleine Grace, Dylan, and Catherine Charlotte, Ana, Emilie Chase, James, and Jesse Olivia and Allison Jessica and Benjamin Josephine and Avielle Caroline and Daniel Within 5 minutes Over a hundred shots fired 26 were killed While catastrophe transpired. The survivors were united With their worried families 20 kids were murdered During this tragedy As tears fell from her eyes A young girl bravely said, “Mommy I’m okay, But all my friends are dead.” http://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/in-memoriam-the-victims-of-the-sandy-hook-elementary-school-shooting/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_Hook_Elementary_School_shooting (I wrote this poem after seeing the barrage of misleading propaganda by the NRA titled “Freedom’s Safest Place”). https://www.nraspeaksforme.com/ Statistics about how America compares to other countries with regards to gun violence http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-u-s-gun-deaths-compare-to-other-countries/ ) Just ‘cuz you say it,
Doesn’t make it true. "Freedom’s Safest Place", Ain’t red, white, and blue. America is the best, When it comes to shootin’ people. Looks like we aren’t really good, At being all that peaceful. We lead the world in guns, That are owned per resident. The USA’s incompetent, Just like our president. "Freedom’s Safest Place", Ain’t here on ‘Merica’s soil. Going back and never forward, Just like a gun’s recoil. I wrote this poem after seeing the latest NRA recruitment video that calls for violence and these videos of pastors preaching about firearms and assassinating abortion providers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV1nonDZ5PM https://thinkprogress.org/in-churches-across-the-country-far-right-pastors-preach-anti-gay-hate-and-violence-cc82d78ada4f http://www.patheos.com/blogs/progressivesecularhumanist/2015/11/evangelist-calls-on-christians-to-assassinate-abortion-providers/ A twist on “A recipe for love” poem. https://www.scrapbook.com/poems/doc/10979.html Can you tell me how,
A terrorist is made? A heart full of hate, And a deadly hand grenade. Add a cup of fear, And a suicide vest. A mind of ignorance, And a brain that’s repressed. Two arms full of bombs, And lethal ammunition. Minced with words of paranoia, Tossed in lies and suspicion. Sunday sermons proudly preach, Hateful stories full of sin. Violence and weapons, Are the only way to win. “Freedom’s safest place” Is a Bible and some mags. Stir in pious gullibility, But disguise it as the flag. Serve hot just like hell, 'Cuz it’s the only thing they know. But Satan holds the lighter, Saying “Make a wish and blow”. A terrorist is made, When we neglect to see, The NRA’s deception —camouflaged publicity. *An American woman is fatally shot by her partner every 16 hrs. Hour one he finally awakens
Hungover he’s still a little shaken. Hour two he takes a shower Grabs some bacon to quickly devour Hour three he’s off to make money, Slams the door and shouts “Bye honey!” Hour four he hammers his thumb Pisses him off as his finger goes numb Hour five he’s starving for food, Cranky and crabby upset in his mood. Hour six he shouts at his buddy For leaving some boards all grimy and muddy. Hour seven his head starts to pound So he downs two pills to drown out the sound Hour eight he falls down some stairs As he’s struggles inside to make some repairs Hour nine he feels fatigued Hard work pays off he’s always believed Hour ten he’s back at it again Finishin’ up, hallelujah, amen! Hour eleven he’s ready to eat Take off his shoes and put up his feet Hour twelve he’s finally done Time to head home and have some fun Hour thirteen he downs a few beers Hoping that his head finally clears Hour fourteen he begins to get rough He pushes his wife and gets pretty tough Hour fifteen he can barely walk Puts his wife into a headlock Hour sixteen he grabs his gun Killing his wife, and other loved ones. He owned a gun to keep him protected Ended up using it, not quite as expected. Spending his life locked up in jail. I question whether justice prevailed. Guns guns everywhere Get ‘em here, get ‘em there. Over at the corner five and dime Pick up another ‘cuz it ain’t no crime To have ten thousand guns if I’d like My constitutional and religious right. My guns make me feel like I’m a big man Just try and take it if you think you can. I’ll blast you away with one single bullet You’ll die right there and won’t even know it. Cuz I’m a brave man who carries a gun Scared of my shadow and most everyone. Panicked the world is out to get me But sure my arsenal is gonna protect me From all of those crazies who want my life But instead most likely I’ll shoot my wife When she pisses me off and walks out the door She won’t get far when I aim my .44. But I realize the “crazies” who are out to get me Turn out to be me…oh the irony. But it’s too late as I bury my wife. And go to prison for the rest of my life. Thank god for my guns ‘cuz they kept me safe But they’ll do me no good locked up in this place. Silent no more, we speak for the dead,
Saying the words the need to be said. Murdered by bullets that shot through the air Killing each other without a sole care Leaving behind the ones that we cherish Never knowing that they would too soon perish Over 110,000 shot every year Over drugs, money, or just plain fear When a gun becomes the only solution Their final, horrid act of retribution. Keeping guns from the mentally unstable The abusive, and addicted ones if we are able. With smart gun laws and regulations We protect the people of our once brave nation. “Do I hear ten, twenty, thirty,
Give me forty maybe more! My politics for sale, Give me fifty I implore! I’ll sell my legislation, For two hundred thousand bucks. And for just another hundred, You get Politics Deluxe!” He has no soul to sell, For it has already been bought. LaPierre gave him a million, He’s now his new mascot. Telling people they aren’t safe, In homes or while at work. Just buy a gun to save you, From a world that’s gone berserk. “THEY’RE COMING FOR YOUR THINGS! THEY MIGHT EVEN TAKE YOUR CHILD! THIS WORLD HAS GONE QUITE MAD!” He yells His eyes grow big and wild. But the only thing we see, That’s completely gone insane, Are the leaders in our government, And good ol’ Mr. Wayne. Our guns won’t help us now, To keep us all protected, From the big money and politics, Of those who we’ve elected. It amazes me how quickly
Congress can solve this situation Guess it’s only changing rules Not changing legislation And the litigants are women Within our government Not unknown random faces Seeking gun laws betterment. As they ask for a revision Within their own house rules So that they may bare their arms And ensure they don’t confuse It with that other word Because “bear” is not akin When one involves a weapon And the other is just skin. A woman’s shoulder shouldn’t cause A man to be aroused Those days long gone, good riddance Bared arms should be allowed Now if only we could manage To get them all to see The need for tighter regulations Of “bear arms” for you and me. I wrote this poem after reading this article in the news. Oh the irony. https://www.usnews.com/news/top-news/articles/2017-07-13/for-women-at-the-us-congress-the-right-to-bare-arms |
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Poetry by: AsherahAlthough she was selectively edited out of the Bible two thousand years ago, she raises her voice for women today in hopes of a better tomorrow, as she makes waves of change, one poem at a time. Archives
May 2020
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