Bearing Witness to the Times: There's a New Man in Town

There’s a New Man in Town

(Looking at the first week of a new presidency)

The skies remain a dystopian gray

As the president

Churns out executive orders.

Amazon. com sold every available copy

Of George Orwell’s 1984.

The week saw thousands of people

Who could not stay home.

They filled the streets.

Women led the charge

Voicing resistance,

Celebrating diversity,

Protesting bigotry, hate, and prejudice.

In city after city

Crowds exceeded expectation.

Millions moved

In buoyant hope.

And the president keeps writing executive orders,

Vowing to make America White Great again.

He shuts out the refugee,

Insists upon building a wall.

Where is the hand of friendship?

Magnanimity in now anathema.

Some people whisper,

“He’s come unhinged.”

I think of the Marlon Brando character

In that movie, Apocalypse Now –

The army colonel who went rogue.

He headed down river

Into the jungle,

Holding sway

By ruthless tactics.

(They got that idea from

Conrad’s Heart of Darkness)

That’s what I think about.

Meanwhile,

I pruned my crepe myrtles

Like I always do in winter.

I filled the bird feeders

With sunflower seeds.

Sparrows chirp

In bare trees

And we all await the coming of spring.

~ CK

From my introductory post:

The best thing that poets can do is to bear witness to the times – articulate what is happening in the moment; speak to the real life experiences of your people.  I am setting myself a goal to write a poem each week that reflects what I see and experience in the life of our nation... if I can write one poem a week there will be some chronicle of our sacred/tested/doubtful union...
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