LatinosUSA

UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF WAR

(“You Got to Whup the Champion” – Muhammad Ali)

The Civil War pitted a thick-headed South 
that had no wish to end slavery, against the 
administrative policies of a Constitutional 
North. If the South had won, they would 
have stopped at nothing to sap all of the 
energy out of the North, leaving their 
vanquished foes lifeless and powerless. But
the North prevailed and gave the South too 
many opportunities to rebuild their power, 
a condition that remains in place to this 
day. Now it is the North’s turn to project the 
message that any competing interest of the 
South is an enemy of the State that must be 
permanently eliminated.

Save the great cooking
please, but put a lid on those
dreadful politics

~~

STRANGE RIDE

Suddenly, a city bus stopped right 
in the middle of the street, not the 
usual curbside positioning for 
passengers to board or exit a bus

I tried to get the attention of the 
driver, but it appeared that some 
kind of automated machine was 
at the wheel, and it was not built 
to be receptive to any form of 
human communication

a recorded message then blared 
out from its public address speakers, 
reminding passengers to use only 
preapproved debit/credit cards or 
exact change, which zoomed my 
mind back to the days of coin belts, 
worn by familiar drivers who already 
knew your name
~~

FORGOTTEN PAST

My memory is excellent
as long as fog is excellent
no why and wherefore premises
			to fog the view

old thoughts that I cannot undo
college degree notwithstanding
my memory is excellent
			to fog the view

I do not recognize some things
until I see them many times
new scenarios serve only
			to fog the view

~~

TOP PRIORITY

You tore your kite string
and got way less care than when
you bruised your hamstring

~~

COMATOSE

Out like a light for ten days
when they told me where I was
I was quoted as saying
“I’ll never get 
out of here alive!”
My mind was a slow freight train
and all the station stops would
have no name