Newark Museum November 20, 2016

album

the longer view of history

Five hundred years ago composing his thoughts in Latin

Thomas More imagined utopia to replace feudalism

Though couched in a way to make his position uncertain

The king soon had him executed to perish the thought.

Four hundred years ago Shakespeare played with words

Giving us English speakers a worthy literature construct

Setting prideful tongues wagging about their language identity

When the Empire was just a glimmer in Elizabeth’s eye.

Such notions of superiority now grown old and false

Such monstrous lies and deception promulgated by the rulers

Who use language to obfuscate their terrorism

Who plot what they call regime change.

There is an oak tree not far from here standing still

All these years since the rise of capitalism

Waiting leafless now lifeless in its end of days

For the chainsaw and the chipper to take it down.

Some think the time is up for this system of ownership

That profits the few from the work of the many

That causes so much human misery in so many ways

That is destroying the future of life on earth.

One world with disparate regions interconnected

Interacting as a single web of life and death

The internet gives rise to mass global awareness

Our polyglot language one voice among many.

The greatest good which is socialism does not come easily

To overcome the repression and disinformation

To endure the convulsions and contractions and sacrifice

To give birth to a better way of government.

When the forces of reaction triumph for a day

I take the longer view of history

Knowing the tide of events is against them

Humanity will rise up and sweep them away.

The words written here will likely need translation

For the speakers of the language five hundred years from now

People who will be a blend of the colors dividing us today

Looking upon our capitalist society as the darkest age of old.

Upper Greenwood Lake November 19, 2016

album

Lake Henry November 16, 2016

album