LITERARY NOOK
\nPoems and prayers for a nation in need<\/p>\n
\u201cLet Us Be What We Are\u201d Frame of Reference? Shame of Preference<\/strong> Prayer in Pursuit of Presidential Perception of the Perilous Plight of our Planet<\/strong> LITERARY NOOK Poems and prayers for a nation in need \u201cLet Us Be What We…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[173,18642,3916,4322],"class_list":["post-262155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","tag-capitol-hill","tag-icbm","tag-north-korea","tag-white-house"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262155","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262155"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262155\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262155"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262155"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262155"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThis title and the two lines quoted in the sonnet are from an English translation of a poem titled Water and Fire by Jose Rizal (1861-1896). According to Wikipedia, Jose Rizal was a Filipino nationalist and polymath. He was executed by the Spanish colonial government for the crime of rebellion after the Philippine Revolution broke out.<\/em>
\n\u00a0
\nHeavy water we have for bombs containing nuclear fire
\nnow we have ICBM rockets carry them far across space
\npeople we have to build destructive weapons we desire
\nas North Korea gamely plays a deadly \u201ccatch up\u201d race
\n\u201cSo let us be what we are and co-exist without ire
\nand may no conflagration ever find us at war.\u201d
\nresist putting our deadly war horses up to the wire
\nlobbing missiles coast to coast and islands shore to shore
\nmillions of Koreans would die on the DMZ both sides
\nsurvivors die from radiation poisoning over the years
\nskin peeling falling off their burnt and blackened hides
\nsurvivors \u2018mourning and weeping in a valley of tears\u2019
\ntogether let us make a truly global Pacific Ocean peace
\nand save millions of lives with no nuclear release.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0
\nMuch has been written about DJ Trump\u2019s mental health
\nhe\u2019s called a Tweet tyrant a demagogue and narcissistic
\nrefused to show his tax returns or report enormous wealth
\nand to the dismay of our Congress everyday unrealistic
\nin special relativity physicists speak of frame of reference
\nto show the dilation of time in space for relativity results
\nTrump shows the relative nature of his shame of preference
\nfor belittling others and the total negative results of his insults
\nhe insults from the White House, rallies, and on his golf course
\nhe insults his own appointed and elected leaders left and right
\nand just when you think oh this can not possibly get any worse
\nTrump\u2019s tweeting insanity continues morning, noon, and night
\nTrump\u2019s own Secretary of State now shows a lack of deference
\n45\u2019s lack of leadership continues the shame of his preference.
\n\u00a0
\nContemporary Canticle for Congressional Creatures<\/strong>
\nThanks to St. Francis of Assisi (1181 to 1226)<\/em>
\n\u00a0
\nTo all those congressional legislative officials chosen to lead
\nLike animals loved by St. Francis you warrant praise and glory
\nIt should be yours but notice how these days our nation bleeds
\nand sickens as they learn of your quagmire and failing story
\nyou warrant praise for passing legislation and jobs well done
\nyet are stuck wallowing in stasis in a partisan political divorce
\nduplicity and deception prohibits praise and will get you none
\nwith closed policy meetings\u00a0 and the boss out on a golf course
\nled down a perilous and slippery path by this self absorbed jerk
\ngetting little accomplished while Russia monitors and laughs
\nit is time for compromise and getting back to positive work
\nlisten to your electorate, read progress reports from your staff
\nso no praise for you in store today our lost and losing leaders
\nquandary and lack of legislation falls below all bottom feeders.<\/p>\n
\n\u00a0
\nGenocide, religious wars, hurricanes, strife everywhere
\nMr. President we pray you listen, pray you will wake up
\nCommander-in-Chief worried about golf and dye for hair
\nits no hole in one when you take four strokes into the cup
\nlay down your golf clubs and the bigly TV remote control
\nawareness is not reflected in your inane tweets every day
\nread beyond bulletin points to comprehend the whole
\ntry and listen to what those three generals have to say
\nplease continue bipartisan efforts up on Capitol Hill
\nlearn to turn the other cheek when insults come back
\nseek rapprochement with world leaders instead of ill will
\nuse diplomacy with No. Korea lay off negative attack
\nMr. President, we pray for your awareness not for spite
\nunderstand the reason for this strife and sorrow I incite.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"