Are you ready?

It's almost a New Year
again
Let's not make America fear
again
Let's not throw our brothers and sisters
to the wolves
again
We could make the world a better place
again
Are you ready?

We've done it before
in days of yore
We broke the bonds of
kings and queens
We threw off the shackles
of slavery
We stood up and demanded
One Person One Vote
Again and again
we demanded a minimum wage, a living wage (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimum_wage)
and the democratic world flourished...

But now it's dying,
strangled by the weeds
we were
so careless of.

So, I need to know - are you ready
to speak up
against those who would silence us?
Are you ready - to stand firm
against those who would
strip away your vote?
destroy your living wage?
poison your food and water, the very air you breathe?
and allow innocents to be destroyed -
- in the name of oil- in the name of money
- in the name of power

Are you ready to throw off the lies that mute us?
Are you ready to stand against the gags that deny us?
Are you ready to make this world a better place?
Can you accept the cost?

The longer we wait
the more we'll pay.

So I need to know,
are you ready?

A.J. Ponder

An early poem so it can be published before the New Year in time for resolutions. There will not be one on the 6th, because there's no reason not to make a New Years resolution to support human rights. Mine is to speak out when I see injustice, to hold our politicians to account and to join at least one local group that supports human rights and the environment. 

Happy New Year everyone, also PS - a link to Mike Moore's 5 point plan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbaqst_B498 (it's basically all in first minute or so.)
A.J.

Globalism vs Corporatism

We are
the people of this world

We could
join together

To gain
basic Human Rights

We can't survive
without clean Food and Water

We shouldn't have to fight
for health and happiness

The globalization of human rights
should be our goal

But the corporate lie
pulls us apart

Makes us fight over the scraps
of their bloated table
 
They pay the corrupt
to distract us

They pay the corrupt
to make laws against us

They pay the corrupt
to rule over us

They say we're too small to change the world
but we must

One human at a time
one step at a time

We must think globally, act globally,
because the corporates are already global

We must fight globally and stand globally
because one,
by one,
the corporates would have us
fall.

A.J. Ponder

By using the word "globalization" to mean "corporate globalization" the very corporations it is meant to implicate have managed to steer the conversation and scare us into fighting against the very people we should be supporting. It's designed to prevent us from thinking about how to make the world a better place, and instead focus on scapegoating the victims of the oppressors whose greed has turned our world inside out, in search for oil, in search of gold, in search of power. But we can do something about it. We can join grassroots organisations (organizations if you're American) that promote #HumanRights,  #democracy, and the environment.
 
And the message for today is "Democracy is not a spectator sport - tag you're it." From, (of all places) The Big Picture RT.   Not that I'd recommend them as a news source, given the Russian connection. If you're going to get your news from only one place I'd suggest Amy Goodman's Democracy Now, specifically The War and Peace Report.

The Art of Modern Warfare with Words

They shall frame you,
then they shall destroy you,
mark my words,
there is no middle ground.

First they demonised the poor
for the crimes of the rich
Then they demonised the Muslims,
to steal oil
Now they're framing the Jews
with an old lie,
an evil lie
to stop you from seeing the whole picture.

They shall frame you,
then they shall destroy you,
mark my words,
brushstrokes matter.
 
We, the people,
are not the threat
The threat is the obscene voice
of corporations
A voice that has corrupted
the politicians
A voice that has corrupted
the media
A voice that
calls to your fears
and twists them.

Once they've framed you,
then they shall destroy you
Mark my words
the fight is now,
or not at all
As the media bows to
the narrative,
their integrity as
bought and sold as the politicians
receiving tobacco PAC cheques
on the house floor.

They shall frame you,
then they shall call you violent
and place the gun
They shall accuse you of the crimes
they have committed
They shall pay a pittance
and take everything -
water
freedom
your very life
and when there is nothing left,
they will blame you.

So please break the frame 
before it destroys you
Mark my words,
there is no middle ground -
unless you stand up -
unless you say no -
unless you yell the truth
like the smallest Who in Whoville.
Please make a noise,
just a yip or a squeak,
because
you are
our only hope.

They shall frame you,
then they shall destroy you
Mark my words,
the fight is now
or not at all.


A.J. Ponder



There is a companion poem for this piece, published 5 years ago, it's called Perspective.  http://anafflictionofpoetry.blogspot.co.nz/2011/03/tuesday-poem-perspective.html

So how is your world being framed?

1. Lying by Omission
2. Controlling the Debate
3. Scripting and Synchronizing News
4. Politicizing Everything  
5 Chasing and creating buzzwords and memes
6. Asking the Wrong Questions
7. Closing down the topic - or airing it like the birther conspiracy long after it was dead.
8 Triviality and Distraction
9. Outright Lying


It's time to fight for our rights #noDAPL #livingwage #HumanRights #sustainability #eco #climatechange #change #education #green #impact #peace #democracy #defundDAPL #PoliticalPrisoner #environment #pollution #climate #globalwarming #solar

Peace Out :)

A.J. Ponder

The Power of Poetry - At The Edge

I cannot tell you about the way
words writhe,
only let you feel
their power

to deceive
to comfort
to take the path

Buy At the Edge RonaGallery or Amazon

you shouldn't want
to take

I cannot tell you about the way
words fall,
only let you see
the ground
far below

and still
you jump,
we all do -
or we cower at the edge
and fall
anyway


I cannot tell you what to do,
but the only way
to stop falling
is to fight -

until you hit the ground


A.J. Ponder

okay, this poem was begun quite some time ago, but like many poems lacked the middle and the end, which came to me at last, and so I've finally managed to finish a poem I began over a month ago now.

It possibly helps that At the Edge, the collection I'm in, has just been released.  And the title just fit perfectly into the poem.  At the Edge is edited by Lee Murray and Dan Rabarts and contains my short story BlindSight, which I believe is well worth a read and was described as eloquent (or near enough) in this review www.mariannedepierres.com/review-at-the-edge-by-dan-rabarts-and-lee-murray-eds

So why not pick up a copy at Rona Gallery?  All things going well, I'll release an extract next week, so watch out for it! :)

Have fun,
A.J.

There's a Star Man - Goodbye David Bowie

You have to hand it to Ziggy
he had those spiders,
what rock star doesn't?

But Major Tom
and his shirts,
there's nothing we could do

But dance,
dance the night away
whirled along
by the silver haired
silver tongued
fey
the one and only David Bowie  

You decided
what kind of magic spell to use
no one needed the crystal
the power was in you
to turn the world

If we can sparkle he may land tonight

So come on
let's dance,
dance the blues away

The moonlight a puddle of silver
reflecting
the angel
on the dance floor

A.J. Ponder

Goodbye David Bowie, ashes to funky, you were the lord of the dance floor, and greatly missed - although you work lives on....

Sad news, but an amazing life, and a legacy that will not be forgotten -
Ziggy Stardust,
A Space Oddity

and more songs are available on Bowies Official utube site https://www.youtube.com/user/OfficialDavidBowie/videos

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

Find my stories and support my writing on ko-fi   And tell me which poems you'd like to see in my upcoming poetry book—2024

 

 

Robbin' Hood Meets the Land of Free Speech

Hood Robbers - Hood Robbin'

They took from the poor

And they gave to the rich

Sold everyone's rights

Then fed us a pitch

So now we eat slogans

With clay for our bed

And watch the sky glowing

far over our heads

Hood Robbers - Hood Robbin'

'cause money is power

And money is speech

But I've got no money

So-

Unfortunately American Politics has been rather big news this week.  And maybe I'd be almost as oblivious of it all if it wasn't for a certain program - (turns to camera) Damn You Colbert!  So what's new?  Politics, power and corruption are a world-wide phenomenon.  Of course, like NZ Americans have free speech and equal rights but it seems "some people are more equal than others".  Here Colbert explains how corporations' free speech is infringed, so I guess its lucky a certain decision went their way.

Here in little old NZ I don't think many people believe such a thing could never happen after all money and politics is relatively closely regulated, but we are buffeted by what is happening overseas.  And of course our system isn't perfect - which is why NZ, we need our own political comedy.  How else am I expected to have any idea about what is happening in the outside world?  After all the news is too depressing, and parliament is enough to induce catatonia. Besides, surely in this economic climate laughter is the best medicine :)

More poems can be found here at the rather awesome Tuesday Poem Blog. This week's poem is Wild Bees by John Griffin, but wait there's more, visit the side bar to the right to find the blogs of many wonderful NZ poets and authors.  Enjoy

A.J. Ponder's work is available through Rona Gallery, Amazon, and good Wellington bookstores