The huff and puff of my frustration

So, here are the words to my newest poem (to go with the video recently uploaded from the black dog fundraiser). This one is not so directly anti-war as some of my other poems, but it touches on some of that (and a lot of other things!) Thanks everybody who came out. I heard the event was very successful.

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The Huff and Puff of my Frustration

(laughs) it’s not fair.
If I were to punch you, as hard as I could, I would sprain my wrist. You would maybe notice as I reduced myself to tears, so instead I use my words and I’ll tell you one thing: this mouth? never got me in a fight it didn’t right-and-the-fuck get me back out of. You see, I said I use my words instead and it’s been working (so far).

But, they’re bailing out the banks. Those leeches and their fees, so the question then becomes how much is your money worth? Depends. How much have ya got? Not a lot? oh, that’s okay baby girl. You too could still be president. Just get in line and we’ll call you. And in the meantime, try and find a job worth a damn to do, because the rent is due, and you’re not getting any younger. And these cards aren’t exactly stacked in your favor. I said get a clue, and pay attention. Because the under current is ever changing in it’s direction.
And you wanna stay ahead of that game, you want that spot on top of the food chain, don’t ya? Everybody’s so busy looking out for #1 and then they wonder why they feel so all alone. So many skin and bones while the top 1% clench their law enforcement fist so tight that you have the right to work until you die in this country, and that’s about it. Now pay your bills and buy some shit. Check your credit score.

And it gets harder to ignore when they’re coming right for ya, but these folks they just don’t care anymore. You can change the channel if it bores ya. Me, I threw out my TV. People gotta tell me when I’m on it. People gotta explain the whole commercial, cause I never catch the reference. Man, I got better things to see. And I understand that time is precious. Mine is spent in reverence of this life, because I am in love with it, I am in love with it.

(Deep breath) I need to learn how to slow down and appreciate this moment. This one, cause it’s all there is. And then I’m off again, forgetting. And I’m looking up again, and I’m searching for the lines that I had memorized, so that I, so that, well, so that I could think about something else.
Sometimes I feel helpless. Like I have a needle but no thread, so it’s no good. I can only manage the damage. Sometimes I am the subject of this charade and sometimes I am just the contents, that is displayed as a series of statistics, and yes I am sometimes Y.
So what of it? And what difference does it make when you die?

Well, I want a government that practices something like the “take a penny, leave a penny” system. And there will come a day, but either way I’m for that rain or shine type of activism. The committed, who don’t shed their tears but collect them, weaving them into meaningful tales. We tell each other stories of bravery and compassion to keep ourselves warm. To keep our hearts burning.

I’ll tell you another thing: it’s you, me and everybody. So don’t go making eneimes, cause you can’t win. Instead it’s time to start talking to these strangers, our neighbors, it’s time to start caring for each other again. Call it community, call it permaculture, call it revolution if you wanna- just get on it! Ten years ago woulda been a good place to start, now will do.

Or, at least I think we can all agree that now is the very best we can do.

So come with me and take heart. I got some new year’s resolutions and a good idea of where to start. I got some friends on the outside, the inside, the flipside and the best part is that you decide your place in this world. You decide. So let’s start.

Because to build a better world, all you really gotta do… is your part.