Indifference

Why is it
that we accept
the banality of evil
and indifference
we move on
uncaring
even as a homeless vet
lies on the street
why should we care
abandoned by society
they will die
a dignified individual
sans recognition
in multiple ways
we fail to respect him
another tortured hobo
an inconvenience
who at times
begs for change
on 5'th avenue
as shoppers walk by
the "stench" in the air
is due to you and me l
ladies and gentlemen
there is no greater stink
than indifference

For all those who politicize 9/ll

For all that was lost
and all there is to be found
whence did we lose the last shreds
of human dignity?

New Orleans- A Short Poem

Swept away,
In a river of sorrow and uncertainty
poverty raises its ugly head
to be drowned by corruption
and New Orleans loses it soul
cuz gumbo will never taste the same again.

Someone else's war

This is a story
of a son's life
seen through the eyes of a father
as he contemplates the final loss

Memories awash
the toddler taking the first step
the infant speaking his first word
the child's first day at school

the teenager learning how to drive
the young man deciding to serve his country
the soldier saluting the old man
and the corpse that returns in a coffin

what does one say to a grieving father
whose reality has been altered
what becomes of the grandchild
that will never be born

yet, I hear that the warmongers sleep well at night

The show must go on

Away slips the night
under the soft light
of the moon
at the darkest hour
comes a sliver of light
gently on the Hudson
the wind blows
carrying a protesting gull
making indignant sounds
walk by the water
the tide lapping gently
at the rocky shore
across the river
the sparkling lights fade
and the majestic new york skyline
reprises
like a phoenix
majestic as ever
a lone ferry advances
towards the pier
quiet sounds of the morning
a lone jogger
an elderly couple
these are mere observations
the heart can soar
or despair
happiness could come
or one might be
in the doldrums
somethings never change
life moves on
uncaring
not unkind
as they say
the show
must go on!!

Regarding Torture, Death Penalty and War

Institutionalized murder
is what is preached
and we argue semantics
about the humaneness of the act

was he in pain
did we torture
or did he die
painlessly

we ignore the absurdity
of murdering one of our own
is it just retribution
or revenge

A debate that is ignored
who has the right to decide
who lives, who dies
murderers make that choice

So what separates us from them
we can argue semantics
and talk about humane practices
as we put another to death

yet somehow as a society
we fail to see the contradiction ...


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at the alter of their ego
a child died
his 40 pound charred body lies on the street
and they used a missile to kill him
and the bible thumpers screamed- more
and the koran thumpers screamed- jihad
and the gita thumpers screams - use a sword
yet they all they wanted was blood
blood of men
blood of women
blood of children
such was the blood lust
and they prayed
they fasted
they knelt
for their god

who has died in shame

Moments

It takes but a moment
To divide
But eternity
To unite

Is it in the basic nature
Of consciousness
To be divisive
As opposed to being connected

Fear galvanizes divisions
Hope leads to unity
So why is it
That we play to our baser emotions

Is survival still a question
That our species struggles with
Is the loss of our own life
The driving factor

If so
Why?
Because death is inevitable
But the projection of an unforeseeable ending is not

And that’s how they play us
Closure
Or lack of it becomes an issue
Fear

Hope on the other hand
Would unite us
To a level of universal consciousness
One begins to realize that there is something greater than the self

Immortality
Unwanted
That exists
In the form of an idea

That idea
Is that of freedom
From the known
The unknown

And from the prejudice of the self