If You Will

 

Fly the flag,

If you will,

Raise it gently,

But not too high –

Not yet.

Fly the flag,

If you will,

With respect,

Not anger;

Fly it low;

Let the winds

Carry the message.

For there is,

At least a tiny fragment

Of each of us –

A today, a

Yesterday, a tomorrow –

In those three colours

(Or else, in truth, why

Are we in this special place?)

Fly the flag,

If you will,

Without fear,

With no provocation;

In memory of events,

Moreso especially of

Innocents

Who suffered,

Those who are

Suffering still.

Fly the flag if you will:

Know that you fly it for me,

For yourself and

For the futures

Being reckoned.

Even now.

Never Be Seen This Way …

Catching my traffic-snarl’d eye

As I queue for a place on the road

Between a rock and a hard place

I spy, beyond a Victoriana municipality fence,

A tall, slow-motion sky rocket eruption

Of a graceful firework tree.

 

 

It tumbles, turning in gentle stir-by breezes,

Teasing towards its arboretum lake-surfaced twin:

Pale bright green, every sparkle that unwinds

From the centre, arcing out,

Each to its own Nirvana-webb’d route.

Swinging to and fro on

God’s invisible parachute cords.

In a moment the traffic will move me beyond:

This tree will never be seen this way again.

Sound Familiar?

“Culture?

Ain’t worth a damn!”

The headline,

Fine-whine vultures

Twitter, snap and scream

On anon dot com message boards.

“I’ll tell you

What we need:

More golden sovereigns,

Glittering prize pieces of hate;

More soldiers, ultimate weaponry, weaker opposition,”

“More acres, higher yields.

Larger factories, robotic population.”

“More profitable trade,

Above board, beyond the board,

Sleight of hand.”

 “Independence from petty legislation:

Indeed

I need

To be the one

To make the law:

My way

Or go away!”

“To be the one

Who has the say:

“Yes!”

“No!”

“Buy!”

“Sell!”

“Come stand by the fire!”

“Freeze in Hell!”

“Eat!”

“Starve!”