The Value of a Democracy

In America, demonstrators protest against
democracy for Hong Kong
while waving Old Glory and the flag
of the PRC.

In China, demonstrators protest against
a communist regime
and are tear-gassed and brutalized
by their police.

Those who should know the value of democracy
and oppress it in the safety of a democracy…
I wonder if they sleep at night.
I wonder if they ever stop and think.

*Note: This poem was written in response to a demonstration I witnessed with Pro-China vs. Pro-Hong Kong demonstrators across the same street. If you are unfamiliar with what is happening in Hong Kong, here is a recent summary from CNN. Be aware that there is no free press in mainland China and news is state approved. Hong Kong officials must also be China-approved before they run for office and are largely pro-PRC.

Advertisement

Thin Dirt

like dust I settle and sink
mired wetly into mud

as one storm passes
another ones threatens

my sanity stretches thin

Bouldering

they say life is a mountain
but I find it more akin to a descending
escalator strewn with boulders

if you stand still
you might find yourself back
in the basement

and crushed under a rock

Artistic Distemperment

a writer pours water
into his story;
he keeps his head above it
but drowns the reader
in his stead

Sans Boundaries

I admire
the fearlessness
of a world
without fences

I Swear

the mind is a fickle thing:
hope but do not always trust
in promises of the moment

No Cure, Yet

the purpose of the common cold:
perhaps to be grateful
when we get well

Star

do not let
anyone’s refusal, stop
you from doing
what lights you up;
you are a magnificent
singularity

Displacement Target

I am not a well into which
to pour your refuse,
your complaints,
and your judgmental vents.

The Other Side of Depression

Depression is not a get out of free card.

If you did hurtful, horrible actions,
you don’t get to wave that away
by saying you weren’t yourself
and then continuing life as if
nothing had happened after you recovered.

You don’t get to look back at something
and claim it wasn’t as bad as it seemed
without losing the people you hurt.

That type of denial is hypocritical.