poets on the loose

see you in pittsburgh in september

one quick stroke
ripping down constitutional rights
people left in shock & awe
protesters
environmental justice
women
young & poor & disenfranchised
welcome to our localized
national police state

of course almost all the politicians
throw up their hands
(leaving their asses uncovered so we can still boot them)
gloves hide fingerprints
cell phone records sealed
another
perfectly orchestrated abuse
crime and power have become
synonyms

august 1968
the democrat convention
young blood & war
beaten & gassed
should have made chicago a life-long lesson
yet it seems the perpetrators
write the history
blame the powerless
build a bigger cage

see you in pittsburgh in september
bring your music
your voice an inalienable right

--- e b bortz

sleeping with drones

perceived intelligence
their cause célèbre
another family (for peace)
alone in death
the machines of empire
meet out injustice
it cannot be re-colored
in pastels

--- e b bortz

earth note 128

after a hard rain
i press the base
around a six foot sunflower
loose dirt
becomes the medium
stalk draws downward
orange yellow
to my fingertips
somehow
putting the world in balance
for an instant

--- e b bortz

(published in Three Rivers Bioneers, Oct 2010)