a song of peace and love

Such a seemingly innocuous song of peace and love

Celebrating the dawning of the Age of Aquarius 

An apparent anathema to serious revolutionary struggle

And yet the sensibility entails a radical shift 

Peace demands an end to imperialist wars

Love that follows the golden rule demands equal rights

Caring for everyone in the human family

Providing food shelter education medicine and opportunity 

Sanctions are an act of war attacking the civilian population

That peaceful loving people cannot abide

White supremacy and misanthropic tropes spewing hate

Can only be rejected adamantly by feelings of love

A century ago a similar slogan spoke to the masses

Suffering from imperialist war and starvation

Coalescing into a demand for peace and bread

Simple enough and yet the Russian revolution followed 

Peace not war! Love not hate! Half a century ago

Who would not want to be with that?

And yet there were many opposed to it

Who battled back in the reactionary culture wars

Theirs is a lost cause that fights on viciously 

Using all their dirty tricks to subvert the majority

Hastening the uprising that will be game over for them

Implementing justice for all in a new social system 

Cedar Pond Highlands Trail September 27, 2020

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the promise of unity

The Black Panthers called them fascist pigs

The armed thugs in blue unleashed upon them

Their leaders assassinated in bed or locked away

Shot down and imprisoned on trumped up charges

Having destroyed that revolutionary party

And with Malcolm and Martin murdered

Next came mass incarceration of people of color

Another name for concentration camps

And yet life went on as usual for white people

Most unmoved by what did not affect them

Only beginning to take notice years later

When Black Lives Matter raised awareness

Becoming conscious of systemic racism

Confronted with videos of police brutality

Moving millions to join protests in solidarity

Threatening the forces of law and order

The cops and white supremacist militia know it

They have already lost the hearts and minds

Desperately trying to intimidate through fear

The mass outrage that is boiling over

The working class is an abstract concept

Most people do not identify themselves with

But profiling harassment is a lived experience

Potentially life threatening for people of color

The recognition of the intersection of race and class

Holds the promise of overcoming the divisions

As white people learn how to become allies

Nothing will stand in the way of our unified movement

Four Birds Charlottesville Overlook September 26, 2020

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