I’m beginning to understand.
I read accounts of and watch
Blacks crying about always
being afraid.
I am afraid,
afraid of leaving the wonder,
serenity and security
of my home — my domicile.
We are told to imagine that
everyone has the virus
that could kill you.
There are those who in
their own fear, anger and resentment
would kill you.
There are those who would
kill you for “the cause.”
Be very quiet.
Don’t stare out of eyes
above the mask at other eyes.
That could get you killed.
Do what you must
and then go home;
get home before
you are killed.
I’m beginning to understand.

This will end.
It might end well.
If so, we will limp while recovering
before we once more walk and run.
If it doesn’t end well,
we will suffer more.
There will be great suffering
but the end will come.
It always does.
When the enablers (sycophants
clinging like abused children)
are disabled
and the perpetrators are exposed
for what they are
(and perhaps, if even able,
own up to what they are),
they will self-destruct.
It always happens that way.
The suffering survivors will heal and mend
and, eventually, walk and run.

Recently, when the Temporary Occupant was touting what his administration is doing for the public school system, people on the internet suggested that he go back and finish grade school.

In the following edited note to a friend today, I suggested that America is in the tenth grade:

What I am observing in America is what I would describe as a country at the sophomoric stage of development — arrogant, know-it-all while knowing very little, a “me, me, me” view of life. This, of course, has been reinforced by an over-emphasis on constitutional “freedom” and “individual rights,” with almost no reference to the Preamble’s emphasis on “promoting the general welfare” — our community/communal context.

Unfortunately, this phase is being exploited by what I believe to be truly demonic forces bent on solidifying and guaranteeing the success of the quest for power for the very few and wealth for the coffers of those same few and the delusional thought that the fearful and resentful base could all be Horatio Alger, which of course is a myth. It’s the devil quoting scripture to seduce a nation. I hope we, as a nation, will surmount this tawdry debacle and move toward the next step in maturity, that being h.s. juniors and seniors.

Bob

So blithely superior,
So arrogantly ignorant,
why doesn’t he wear the moniker
“I say British aunt and you say American ant”?

He utters so much racist blather
about human relations
and any other matter.
Imparting his views he has no hesitation.

He sees himself as the font
of all knowledge,
but the one thing we all want
is for him to acknowledge,

that he isn’t the Oracle of Delphi.
He’s just an old, white guy
who struts around with an open pant’s fly.
Lord have mercy, just another blithering gadfly.

They really do all look the same
walking around with an open fly.
It’s really such a shame
and enough to make an old, white guy cry.

He took a survey on how dark his
dark side was. It isn’t very. He felt
guilty pleasure and told his wife who

confirmed the results. And then he
thought that his life was not balanced.
There was way too much light and

not enough darkness and that has
caused behavior that others see
as dark, others in the religious

community around him where the
imbalance tips strikingly to the dark
and where, in order to hide it, people

live judgmental Victorian lives push-
ing down the dark only to have it
erupt in truly ugly ways, which then

requires people to bury the dark even
deeper. Those, who bury the dark,
don’t understand his tipping to the

light; they just see the anger and
assume that it is of the dark. People
of faith shouldn’t be angry. They

tell him that the righteousness of
God does not work the anger of
humanity. People wonder why he

is so grumpy. He even wonders
and then he takes a look around
at the darkness enveloping the

day — all the negative “isms’
and he forgives himself for his
anger for it isn’t such a bad

thing in the face of what is hap-
pening but he has to tell himself
not to let the sun set on his anger

and so he breathes deeply and
thanks Wisdom for letting him
see both his light and dark in the

unity of life and for letting his
little light shine in the dark even
if it takes the form of anger,

which his wife informs him
better be like Saint John Lewis
making “good trouble.”

So, as it turns out,
while this person writes in a way that
looks objective and rational and the
result of critical skills, this gentleman’s
opinions are influenced by “resentment.”
How many other supporters are angry,
resentful, frightened white guys sucked
into the political morass of bias and chaos
and now willing participants
if not cult followers?

The temporary occupant is not just a “populist,”
as the gentleman maintains.
That is too kind a description.
He is a sick human being
unable to feel any empathy
for anyone and only disdain
for the plight of his mostly
white, working-class followers
(given his policies)
and an uncanny ability
to con the “resentful”
into following him
and doing what he wants.

He is a genius in one regard —
he knows better
than almost anyone else
(with the exception
of Hitler) how to tap
into fear and manipulate
it to his advantage.

So much for this person’s objective
evaluation and critical thinking.

We have to see the temporary occupant’s motives
for what they are — 
a personal quest for authoritarianism, 
for dictatorial power,
life-long kingship and an
unquenchable
drive for monetary
accumulation.

Nothing short of our constitutional democracy is at stake.

180,000 dead Americans and counting,
     brutalized and murdered Blacks,
          righteous, peaceful, pleading protesters 
about this 450-year-old oppression,
     right-wing violent participation
          falsely pointing to Blacks to further
frighten whites and where there
     is infrequent and misguided looting
          by Blacks, it is used by the right to
insight fear and label the peaceful
     protestors as violent anarchists.

Somehow I missed a reference to these in the gentleman’s comments.

What I did read was this: [The occupant] has successfully
improved the opportunities for minorities
(eg. opportunity zones, prison reform, aid and
recognition for Black colleges, etc.) and
improved employment numbers to historical
highs.

How simplistic! A contemptable attempt
(and an almost verbatim regurgitation of
the occupant’s speech) to salve the disquieted
conscience of shamed but in denial (I didn't 
enslave anyone) white America. It is patron-
izing and paternalistic.

These politically motivated talking points
are not intended to actually promote
equality for Blacks. None of these things
is abhorrent by itself, but together they
reflect an attitude of “us” doing some-
thing for “them” — white power being
benevolent to powerless Blacks.

What I am interested in is the language.
     Just think about the language.
          It is all about segregation.
All of it has to do with Blacks
     staying in certain places
          not occupied by whites:
opportunity zones,
     prison reform, Black colleges.
          We are helping Blacks while
they stay in certain zones;
     we are helping Blacks
          while they remain in prison
or get released to go back
     to an “Opportunity Zone”;
          and once they get released
from prison there will be
     greater opportunity for them
          to go to “historically Black
colleges,” away from us
     because we whites don’t go
          to those places or, heaven forbid,
live there.

Tongue in cheek, I write sarcastically,
“Oh, we are doing so much good for
Blacks, the Blacks, our Blacks, those 
people. I hope they appreciate it 
(while we keep them at arm’s length
and under a knee).”

And by the way, what kind of employment
and where? And now because of the virus,
these numbers reflecting bottom level jobs
have themselves bottomed out.

Where in the gentleman’s comments is there
any exploration of the political motivation
of the temporary occupant's assertions?

Look under the hood of the big, black,
gas guzzling, presidential limousine 
not in the 'hood!

Regarding the quote by Lao Tzu below,
I am striving for simplicity in my life
and for compassion,

but I have run out of patience with guys
who look like me and cry “foul."

"I have just three things to teach: simplicity, patience, 
compassion.” — Lao Tzu

Lies, lies, lies, lies,
projection, projection, projection
all for an election
where democracy could die.

Hide, hide, hide, hide
fascist intentions
while projecting violent aggressions
onto such a nice, ordinary guy.

Survive, survive, survive, survive;
look to the ballot for protection
of the Bill of Rights and Constitution
to keep our democratic republic alive.

Speak the truth,
peacefully confront the lie,
let the dove of peace fly
Mail the ballot, get to the voting booth.

It seems like the poems are getting longer.
The poets seem angrier and have more to
say on the subject, that, of course, being

“race.” The rhythm, the rhyme, the swing
and the sway (of indigenous, black, brown
artists) reveals anger not joy as if to say, “We

aren’t going to take this anymore,” and can
anyone, anyone blame the swing and the
sway for being angraay? Well, of course,

there will always be those, according to
dialectical philosophy, who stand in dia-
metrical opposition to the rhythm, the

rhyme, the swing and the sway of cosmic
unitaay which if such unity in diversity is
to be realized must contain and reflect the

very real, legitimate anger that swings and
sways through the day — day after day
come what may — part of cosmic reality.

Have I felt the love of a mother,
no matter how imperfect?
Have I felt the love of a father,
no matter how imperfect?
I have felt those imperfect loves
pointing me to the perfect love
in metaphors galore — mother,
father, sister, brother, neighbor,
Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu. I
breathe in deeply and breathe
out deeply naming the name
of perfect love which cannot
be named in all respect and
reverence — the breath of Om.

“Therefore, whatever is spoken
in the dark will be heard in the light,
and what is spoken in the ear in
inner rooms will be proclaimed on
the housetops.”

He reads those words of Wisdom
but he stands with Habakkuk and
chimes-in with his protest: the lily-
white couple from a white neighbor-
hood who brandished guns against
peaceful protesters of color walk-
ing past the faux-mansion appear
at the trumped-up convention and
he who stands with Habakkuk ask-
ing why the corrupt prosper while

the innocent suffer and another un-
armed black man takes seven bullets
in the back from a police officer —
seven IN THE BACK, such cowardice
on the very day the supercilious white
couple from the faux-mansion blab
on and on ad nauseam about patriotism

but he then heard Wisdom speak in the
voice of Lao Tzu, “I have just three
things to teach: simplicity, patience,
compassion.” “And all shall be well,
all manner of things shall be well,”
spoke Wisdom in the voice of Julian
of Norwich.

And the answer came:

“It shall come to pass. The secrets
of corruption, lying, cheating and
greed to go with the obvious bigotry,
racism, misogyny, homophobia will be
proclaimed for all the world to see,
hear, know and justice will roll down
like water from an ever-flowing stream.
It is the word of Wisdom. It will
happen. Trust the word of Wisdom.”