Ask me not

Ask me no secrets
I'll tell you no lies

Ask for no boon and
You'll get no surprise

For questions are deadly
When you're in the know

And Grifters be hiding 
behind solid gold doors

With solid gold excuses
And solid gold mores

And they pay well for silence
...

So listen well to their threat
...

You can ask not for your country
And not for yourself

You can ask and be answered
You can knock on that door

But never, dear, never
Don't you dare ask for more

There we go, it's been a while since I wrote a poem-but I had this saying rattling around my head and when I looked it up all I got was "Ask me no questions..." If anyone can think of a poem, or fairy tale I might have got "Ask me no secrets, I'll tell you no lies." I'd really appreciate it, I'm absolutely drawing a blank. 

Have a great week,

A.J. 

And if you like this poem you may also like:

Today - by my special guest "Billionaire Overlord" 
or

The Circle of Life

#protest poetry

Holes

There's a hole in my mind
where the world seeps in.
A filtered unknown
infiltrating a closed
system.

There's a hole in my brain
where the facts drift through.
And in the heavens can you say
what allowed them to fall
so far?

There's a whole lot of bull
to make a brain more spongy
than spongiform encephalitis.
The neurons having lost their shape
have struck out -
gone their separate ways to retire
far away from
the simmering sea
of questions:

where?
what?
why?

For there are no anwers
unless you go digging

and find the holiest of holes -

where you'll find emptiness
stuffed with 
lies, damned lies
and money.

A dissolution of non-particulate matters
not particularly mattering
as the tide rolls in and over
a dead sea.

A.J. Ponder

Another week, another poem, I hope you enjoyed it. I quite like this one.  Despite the fact that's it's an awful lot of words for the old saying, "follow the money"

Have a great week, and hopefully I'll have some exciting news next Tuesday. (Nothing to do with cats, I just wanted to add a cat picture, because why not?)


A.J. 

Battle Hymn of the Resistance

Public domain image from the Project Gutenberg archives

I went to see the truth about the changing of the guard
(After it was over because watching was too hard)
They'd sugared it through serpent's fangs and covered it with lard
And the lies kept marching on

Glory glory, what's it to ya
Glory glory, what's it to ya
Glory glory, what's it to ya
And posttruth keeps marching on

Women's rights were gutted with a scribble from his pen
He's happy to risk women's lives, and so are all his men
Right to life's an awful lie - 

and now thousands will die
And the lies kept marching on

Glory glory, what's it to ya
Glory glory, what's it to ya
Glory glory, what's it to ya
And posttruth keeps marching on

Then he asked Guiliani to impose a Muslim ban
But one that protects his companies, and so they hatched an evil plan
And now they have the gall to say it's not a bloody ban
And the lies keep marching on

Glory glory, what's it to ya
Glory glory, what's it to ya
Glory glory, what's it to ya
And posttruth keeps marching on

Will America be gutted on the altar of his greed?
From Goldman Sacks and lobbyists the US should be freed
And taken to a place where there's respect every race and creed
Let's stop the lies from marching on

Glory glory, time to free ya
Glory glory, time to free ya
Glory glory, time to free ya
Stop posttruth from marching on

For too long your rights to work and vote have been twisted heartlessly
To the right to work for nothing, and to vote provisionally
But you can stop your lives and votes being thrown in the bin
Join a local human rights organization!

Glory glory, and good on ya
Glory glory, and good on ya
Glory glory, and good on ya
Keep #posttruth from marching on



A.J. Ponder 

My goodness, it's not easy to stay current and keep accurate! Also there's heaps I haven't covered eg #NoDAPL, so please tell me if you manage a verse or two and I'll link to it.

Have a great week! Breathe! Democracy is a long term objective, it's not perfected anywhere yet. All we can do is keep working toward a society that gives everyone the best opportunities to achieve-without stepping on the rights of others.

A.J. 

The Silver Sword

Truth
you are a silver sword
with which to slay the dragons.
For though their heads are many
and I cannot take them all
we can share the cutting truth
will you hear its clarion call?

Truth
from all around the world
as women we have spoken. (And men too! And non-binary, but this is a poem!)
We'll cut through the serpent's lies
knowing each is but a token,
then we'll take the fight to the Wyrms of greed
and dance as each head falls.


A.J. Ponder

A slightly more traditional offering this week, even if it's still within a certain theme. Apologies for using every synonym for dragon - because of the different flavour each has. At least that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Have a great week, and stay strong. And remember, as Thom Hartman says, #democracy is not a spectator sport.

False Prophets

Given the GOP memo published recently that included '...Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King...' and the many people who are prepared to defend a deliberate and misleading false equivalency as if the move from past to present wasn't entirely deliberate, with the double meaning left to placate the evangelicals for whom this would be blasphemy.

I'd like to remind anyone who is drawn to this false show of Christianity of what the Bible records Jesus as saying. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits."  (Matt. 7:15-16b).

From what I can see Trumps fruits are blackmail, bankruptcy, lechery, and threats. And while I don't pretend to be a Christian, Trump does, and he fulfills this biblical warning: The counterfeit Christian is marked by arrogance and slander (2:10). They are "experts in greed" and "their eyes are full of adultery" (2:14).

So do not let religious friends be pulled into the sway of this false prophet who would be a king. Because Jesus was right. And the wolves he speaks of will never sate their hunger, their greed is a sickness that consumes them, it is a greed for power and love that has lead followers to death, while aggrandizing themselves.

Whatever our faith - whether we believe Jesus was the son of God, a prophet, or just someone who challenged an authority who cared for money and power, and belittled suffering - we should heed his warning, because there are always people who say they have the answers - but if their fruit is vile - if what they actually do is vile - then so are they. If we don't stand up now against the corporations who are dividing the world between them, the world we pass on to our children and grandchildren will be very grim indeed, and not the society that compassion and vision and science can build. But first we must challenge our own moneylenders. The morally criminal who trade our life health and happiness for worthless coin.

We need to stand against corporate greed
Because 1% of the world now has 90% of the money.
Because they don't pay taxes
Because they don't pay their workers a living wage
Because they steal resources from under the feet of the people they should be supporting.
Because they corrupt our politicians
Because they corrupt our media
Because they make us fight for scraps at our own table
Because they make us beg for the poisons that kill us
Because they refuse to treat those in need preferring coin
Because global warming is real
Because the earth is a finite resource
Because little children should not suffer when we can prevent that suffering
Because nobody should suffer for their faith
Because we hold the moral stance that all are created equal
Because we can make this world a better place
So I will stand,
I will stand with the millennials,
I will stand with the progressives
I will stand with Bernie, and Warren and Stein and the Greens and the unions and the Indigenous people and all those who protect the land and human rights.
Will you?

A.J. Ponder

For those who wonder why I follow American politics so assiduously - it's because that is the country used to create the narrative we are supposed to believe. That somehow minimum wages make people poorer. A lie. Proved here  (http://www.citylab.com/work/2016/12/as-an-anti-poverty-measure-raising-the-minimum-wage-works/510119/?utm_source=SFTwitter) and in scientific studies.

That drug and oil and banks and the worst excesses of war require government money, but we should ignore the suffering of people whose needs would require far less, and we could then reap the health benefits of a more egalitarian population.

It is not just America. This is an issue for the whole world so please don't hesitate to add links to organisations/organizations you think can help. And DO be aware that facts change - especially if it's money that's being asked for.

There are almost too many options. So don't find heaps, find the one that best suits you and make a New Year's resolution to make a difference. Remember you can stand up for the #environment and #humanrights check out these
6 Lessons Learned Fighting Oppressive Regimes While Trying to Protect People and Planet 
http://www.ecowatch.com/trump-oppressive-regimes-2162235733.html

You can:
Petition your local politicians
Join rallies for causes you believe in
Divest from banks that support oil or habitat destruction
Buy mindfully
Use power mindfully
Join groups who promote the causes you hold important  - but always check to make sure they are  currently as advertised.  eg in NZ our Red Cross currently has most of it's money go to where it's needed, whereas the American Red Cross has a less efficient structure in getting charity money to where it's need so there may be better options.
Join Your local human rights org. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_human_rights_organisations
Join Your local union or group ready to ask for a living wage eg. #fightfor15
Join your local Green Party
Join the NAACP http://www.naacp.org/about-us/
Join Amnesty international https://www.amnesty.org/en/
I'm not always the biggest fan of the UN, sometimes it seems to be captured by political and business interests, but maybe that means we need to take it back and make it for people all the more.
Support education for the less fortunate  Malala.org, ACEI, Education International, GPE, Plan International, Save the Children, UNESCO & UNICEF.

There are almost too many options. So don't find heaps, even one would make an awesome New Year's resolution and make a real difference.

Merry Christmas Holiday (for those lucky enough to get a Christmas Holiday) and a happy New Year
A.J.

Pirate's Post: Here be Dragons

Yo ho
and there's a map to
where the skeletons lie,
sunning themselves
on the sand and
Spanish gold
lying
at the bottom
of the deep blue sea

Yo ho
you think you know
where x lies
but a jaunty tilt
is all the dragons need
for misdeeds and
misdirection
sending the unlucky
straight to the
skeleton's rocks
lying
at the bottom
of the seven seas

Yo ho
I'll wave the flag of fear
with crossbones
and let it fly
over the water
with a jaunty tilt -
It's a dangerous boat
on a treacherous sea
but here be dragons,
and if you're watching me
you'll miss them
amongst the glitter
of gold
on the rocks
at the bottom
of the seventh sea


A.J. Ponder

I know it's late, but I do hope you enjoy this little pirate piece on the danger of statistics!

A.J. 
Author of Quest, Prophecy, Omens, Miss Lionheart and the Laboratory of Death, Wizard's Guide to Wellington, Attack of the Giant Bugs - a You Choose Science Adventure, and The Frankie Files



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Truths and Fairy Tales

Say all is right with the world:

It's such a beautiful lie,

Why should it not

Arrive

With pearly wings

And trumpets

From a blue, blue sky?

Say you know the truth:

It's such a fabulous lie,

Why should it not

Announce itself

With a sequined dress,

A coach,

And four footmen?

Say you didn't mean to:

Now that's just squalid,

Divine intervention and

Fairy tale splendour

Will not mask

The ugliness

Of that lizard

A..J. Ponder 

For more fairytale poetry click here to my Fairytale Poetry Hub

 

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And tell me which poems you'd like to see in my upcoming poetry book—2024? https://ko-fi.com/ajponder