inreaction

i stumbled upon a site with one hundred and one writing tips,
one more than one hundred rules for writing right,
for writers to script words that would move candidate’s lips,
take serious matters and turn them into air–while strippers turn governors’ pocketbooks tight.

i watch the world unfold in debate after debate,
watching friends divided across aisles;
seeing americans turning to hate
as though it will put an end to these trials.

i remember the days when rhymes flowed from these fingers,
like hatred from the foaming lips of ignorant right-wingers;
i remember when these words were as natural as the good earth’s minerals,
like the unfamiliar boastings of these self-righteous liberals.

i remember when we looked not to the beaming screen,
for our sense of political understanding;
we knew that understanding is not political–it is white with pride, with envy it is green,
we were too fragile for this party-line handling.

these words speak not of national issues,
nor of headlines flashed on your tv;
these issues are the tears you wipe with tissues,
these words are the headlines that stay within me.