World War III

World war three

Around us wages

Although no declaration to see

It’s in all the pages

No Maginot line 

Or redcoats shining bright

Giving a clear sign

That obviously is a fight.

A guerrilla engagement

All around, hidden 

Emotions ferment

Lifestyle forbidden 

To acknowledge or talk

Silent battles

Not walking the walk 

As society rattles 

As seismic waves

Battles in the street

Forefather rolling in graves

Not a traditional war

Or even Stalingrad

Feelings so raw

Is it a modern fad?

Social media not 

Face to face

An around bot

Invades every space

Leads just to hate

And growing fear

Just to be great 

Yet all we hear 

Is you don’t count 

You don’t belong 

Even climbing the mount

You hear the song

America the Great 

Brexit is all

Hate

Leading to one big fall!

Modern war

Unseen around

See hypocrisy soar

As drumbeats sound

World War Three

World War Three

WORLD WAR THREE!!!

October 8th 2019,  The Woodlands. TX

-Richard

There is so much noise going on in the world.   It sometimes feels like a constant stream of images and anger with so little positivity.  This is the current America we live in.  The loud and the bullies get heard and win. 

It got me thinking about how "free" we really are.   In the America we are supposed to be in the freest Country and yet look around us.   So many tied down without options just scrambling by, hanging on.  As a Christian, or Jesus follower we are supposed to be free, but, the church just wants to put more and more rules on to us. 

I have had major writers block for a long time, but, with all this whizzing through my brain something finally clicked.   This is supposed by read with a desperation with a the thought of a constant drum beat behind constantly driving.   It is not the final version, but, I wanted to write it down as is:

Land of the Free

Free verse

No meter

No rules

No stanza

No grammer

No punctuation

No from

Free

The rhythm of Glass

The verse of Ginsberg

The art of Dali

I remember the day

Freddy died

And understood

Loneliness

Love

Series over time

Until a mental block

A writers block

Free will

Free choice

Peace

Lennon and McCartney

Free as a bird

Life

In the Land of the Free

Liberty

In the Land of the Free

Happiness

In the Land of the Free

Tata tata tata

Drumming of Reich

Of Ak47

Destroying

Freedom

No big government

Unless

<Silence>

You can't control

Woman

Refugees

Gays and Lesbians

Poor

Sick

And on and on

But shit

Guns are FREE

Free verse

Yeah right

In the Gulag we stay

Ask Alexander

About baggage

Free (fortissimo)

Rules (diminuendo)

Free (forte)

On our terms (diminuendo)

Free (piano)

Old white men (pianissimo)

TRUMP

War

Murder

Violence

Guns

Trapped

TRUMP

John Cage four minutes

<Silence>

Jesus teaching

<Silence>

Hate

<Silence>

Justice

<Whisper>

Equality

<Whisper Louder>

Peace

<Louder Still>

LOVE
<Shout>

Remove the chains

FREE

<Scream it>

FREE

Verse

Expression

In America

Land of the Free

Is it?

Wham sings!

-Richard

Summer Fireworks

Who needs fireworks

When the sky lights up

With the force of natures

Own electric display?

Flashes light up the summer sky

Followed by the crashing bang

Over and over again.

It’s free for us to enjoy

Given by the Creators powerful hand!

28th June 2002, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.

-Richard

Four Years

Four years since the last kick

That sent a nation ecstatic

Sent many home dejected

Four years since the last kick

Many dreams have faded

Four years since the last kick 

Thirty two countries hope anew

Four years since the last kick

It’s all on the line again

Four years since the last kick

The whole world watches and waits

Four years since the last kick

The slate is clean as it starts again

Four years since the last kick

The whistle blows for the first kick.

30th May 2012, Townsend, Tennessee, United States of America

-Richard

On this day one hundred years ago the human catastrophe that was World War I was over.  The eyes of the world turned from death to hope.   Never again would millions be lost senselessly in the name of greed, hate and Nationalism.   The war to end all wars.

Yet, unfortunately as we know this did not happen as we lived through the evil of World War II, were millions upon millions where murdered, not just the combatants.  And so it goes one year, upon year there is war or innocent people are killed.

Even this week on the way to the memorials for the end of World War I the President of the United States decried his predecessor for cutting military spending (which was a lie as side note).  How much more do we need to spend?   Only a fraction of this budget could solve global poverty, hunger, healthcare and climate destruction.  Yet we continue to spend money that can destroy the world several times over and never learn continues to espouse to hate and destruction of Nationlism. It is so wrong that words cannot do the evil and justice.

In the words of the hymn at Church this morning:

O God of every nation, of every race and land, redeem the whole creation with your almighty hand; where hare and fear divide us and bitter threats are hurled, in love and mercy guide us and heal our strike torn world.

Lest we forget!

Never again!

-Richard 

I am confused!!   

Some of the strengths of a Christ following disciple is faith, hope and trust with an overarching command to live a peaceful, humble loving life.   It is the core of the message. 

I am confused!!

The main stream church, the evangelical church in the US is now the opposite.  They are in bed with a political party that preaches, or, bullies and they do the same from their pulpits.  They preach fear where Jesus said “do not fear”, they preach hate where Jesus said “love”, they preach violence and war where Jesus said “be peacemakers and out down your swords”, they preach greed where Jesus said “give up your wealth and follow me!”  They have removed Jesus and the power and beauty of the gospel leaving just an empty shell!

I am soo confused!!

I am grief stricken!!

-Richard 

I’ve been thinking about Communion over the last week or so.   What does it mean and why?

I read a book written about the Pastor and Priest who served the prisoners at the Nuremberg trials.   It is almost inconceivable to me how knowing what these leaders of the Nazis has done they could talk and build relationships.  Yet they did.  They put away their personal horror to try and share the gospel and what the Eucharist table was all about.  I don’t think I could do it, or even come close.   

The second thought was from Church today.  When we go to the table we are all equal as far as Christ is concerened.  It is the true eqalitarian place.   It does not matter who you are, what race, sex, social status coming to Christ at that point it does not matter.  Unfortunately in our broken world the moment we leave the table this equality goes away and we are back into our boxes.  How it must grieve Christ.  A challenge to me and all to take this away into the world and not leave it at the alter.

As I am sitting here pondering this imagine what would happen if this was discussed in politics, especially modern American pages politics.  One would immeditely called disparaging names: “Libtard”, “ socialist”, “communist” etc..mainly by those that like to preach Christianity.    Yet, this is what Christ wants and teaches not the hedonistic, selfish greedy version of Modern America.   Going back to my book of Nuremberg this is how at all started faux Nationilism and hate of those that were different.   We all know how that went!

-Richard

-Richard