As the world cracks
I took a minute
to pretend that Trump is not president
I had to find a safe place
far from the news
away from the streets
the quieting place on a summer’s day
bark bark bark
the barking dog
who feels abandoned
whine and whimper
the rising crescendo on a summer’s day
clap clap clap
wake up the deities
chase away the military police
smile after farting
the escaping monkeys on a summer’s day
back back back
you’ve gone too far
what good comes from frivolity
idle moments of insanity
the tempting Calypso on a summer’s day
stay stay stay
do not leave Ogygia
for the nightmares in America
they’re rigging the system
the plundering thieves on a summer’s day
It took years
but finally the gods intervened
breaking spells — near and far
by heroes joined by others
like an arrow shot through 12 axe heads
restore our cities in peace
——
Calypso, in Homer’s Odyssey, is the sea nymph who keeps Odysseus, the long-absent ruler of Ithaca, on her island, Ogygia, for seven years. By then, his crew is gone, his ship destroyed, and he spends his days yearning for home, sitting on the shore and gazing toward Ithaca. The “arrow shot through 12 axe heads” refers to the trial of the bow, where Odysseus, finally returned in disguise, proves his identity by sending an arrow cleanly through the aligned sockets of twelve axes — an almost impossible feat symbolizing skill, resolve, and the right to reclaim his throne and the life that was taken from him.
I see a truck
he must think
he is taking
a victory lap
through neighborhood
streets
because
his side
has won
which was never fair
because the majority
always
kept control
there is no point
in seeking
a diverse
equal society
they’re all
white haired men
driving flags
with trucks
under pressure
And love dares you to care for
The people on the (People on streets) edge of night
— David Bowie and Freddie Mercury, “Under Pressure” (1981)
make an appointment
take a seat and just relax
your heart is racing
swerving through crooked pothole streets
to join you and hold your hand
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