Exploring the Intriguing
Category: People
The father of my children has gone mad. He’s spent every night for the last 5 weeks putting together a boat. A giant, absurd boat. Somehow he convinced Ham and Japheth to help. Thank goodness Shem is still willing to get water for me in the evenings.
What I don’t understand is what’s gone wrong. Noah has been a good dad, a great farmer, and the best healer around. Now? He’s lost his mind. And I’m not even allowed to ask about his precious boat. Our kadosh is broken.
© Gayle Force Press 2020
The water is wide
Littered with empty bodies
Once young old weak and strong
Mingled with fish and sledge
Along with the memories of those
Who made it over the Ohio
To a new home of hope
No land but how brave
Promising to remain
North of the river
Away from pattyrollers
Somehow, finally free
Their lucky descendant
Starts driving faster
As I take a bridge
One of several I’ll cross
Just hoping for fun tonight
In Cincy or Louisville
Leaving Kentucky for Ohio
Trading South for North
Simply signs on the highway
Beneath the shining images
Pointing me to a downtown
Or a floating casino
Nothing calls to attention
The history or the bodies
Still and real below me
Trapped in the Ohio
Permanently, without memories
Somehow, finally free
© Gayle Force Press 2012
A poem by Franklin Oliver
I know you know
about God‘s beloved
shivering on the floor
Wondering how hope turned into terror
Upon arrival in the promised land
I know you know
about swaddled babies
ripped from their mothers
born at the wrong time
in the wrong place
in the wrong skin
I know you know
about free flu shots
waiting idle in boxes
while the cough begins to spread
Among the Other
Waiting idle in boxes
I know you know
about the human crossing borders
binding people into suffering
instead of protecting them from fear
I know you know
about our old lady
Standing with the lamp
Waiting for tired huddled masses
yearning to be free
needing to be White
I know you know
about the stable
Home to donkeys
A new family
And earthly bribes
For a heavenly gift
I know you know
about sanctuary in Egypt
A fearsome flight
For first time parents
hiding the light of the world
in Ill fitting clothes
begging him to stay quiet
hoping for one more miracle
I know you know
Whether Mary would be safe
In your care
Or if you’d remind her
That Jews don’t belong here
Without looking into her eyes
I know you know
This is Christmas in America
© Gayle Force Press 2019
A poem by Franklin Oliver
It was raining like hell
When they cuffed me
I told the cops
It was simple
An eye for an eye
Leaves the whole world blind
Just like Lady Justice
Except that I have a smile
Not a smirk
On my face
See, Trayvon carried skittles
But I packed heat
When I followed George
From his house
Until he idled
At the drive through
It’s hard to leave a Krispy Kreme
Once you’ve seen the Hot light
And it’s even harder
After I’ve dropped my whole clip
Into your chest
I told the cops
It was simple
Lady Justice is blind
But I can see clearly
The rain is gone
© Gayle Force Press 2017
If you’d like to hear this poem performed, please check out our podcast.
http://whodeannypod.libsyn.com/may-poetry-pod
Every year there are
Untold more of us
An Amadou Diallo, Botham Jean,
Eric Garner, Tamir Rice or me
Then a loud clamor
Our broken faces on TV
We ask so many questions
That no one’s forced to answer
With sympathy’s short half-life
Most just wait for the noise to stop
So the questions
Can disappear once again
Just like us
In our lives
And our deaths
Beto’s favorite word
is a meatsaladsurprise
Too thick for its guise
of healthfulness,
slightly indigestible
See, this is America
The land of the free
who refuse to be brave
Because comfort trumps conviction
and clarity yields
an automatic timeout
We’ll keep wading through disasters
on our raft
of thoughts and prayers
Convinced that if we’re
just polite enough
someone else will save us
From ourselves
A poem by Franklin Oliver
© Gayle Force Press 2019
During the 2015 US Open, I posted a simple request: Can we show some love for Venus Williams?
Now that she’s made her way to the Wimbledon semifinals and solidly into the top 10 of the WTA rankings, I want to ask again for a renewed appreciation of a legendary, perhaps iconic American athlete.
In case you’ve forgotten, Venus is one of the 10 greatest players in the history of women’s tennis. She’s won seven Grand Slam titles, four Olympic gold medals and revolutionized tennis with her unprecedented combination of power, speed and athleticism in much the same way Martina Navratilova once did.
The primary difference between those two is that Martina’s great rival was her foil, not her sister. The epic battles between Martina and Chris Evert elevated both players. The numerous finals Venus lost to her little sister, Serena Williams, seem to have added to Serena’s ledger of greatness but diminished Venus. In that earlier post, I dug just a bit into the why of the Serena domination, but suffice it to say that Venus’ seven Grand Slam wins underrepresent her excellence. They also only scratch the surface of her historic importance.
Now that more eyes are on her again, let’s take a moment to recognize Venus Williams for her trailblazing brilliance.
Let’s go, Venus!
God is in the wax and smoke
The lingering scent of a fire
Now extinguished
Still burning
Brighter than ever
A poem by Franklin Oliver
© Gayle Force Press 2013
This is the moment to begin making contingency plans for Executive Office vacancies.
Either a VP or Presidential resignation or impeachment would throw the US into chaos. That's why Congressional leaders should make a concerted effort to identify multiple credible, competent replacement candidates in the increasingly likely event the 25th Amendment becomes necessary soon.
The President is very likely to have the shadow of impeachment growing closer. That means there are two other big things coming into play.
1- Trump might decide at any given moment to resign. His unstable personality combined with his persecution complex makes that possibility a real concern. He certainly wouldn't go through an impeachment trial. As in his business life, he'd attempt to find a way to 'settle' without admitting wrongdoing. That means resigning.
2- It's already apparent that the scandals enveloping Trump that might actually lead to impeachment are likely to pull Pence into the same orbit. It's not unlikely that Pence might be offered up as the sacrificial lamb if Trump believes having Pence take responsibility would provide Trump sufficient cover.
This why I think it's imperative to find a viable, willing replacement VP. I'd suggest it be someone like Lindsay Graham, Bob Gates, Chuck Hagel or even Mitt Romney who a) could win near universal congressional support b) would pledge not to run for re-election and c) is not tied to Trump or Pence. That's the type of person who could help pull the country out of the Trump/Pence morass AND be politically acceptable on both sides of the aisle.
This feels like a scary situation to even contemplate. Not having a game plan is scarier still.
-Franklin Oliver
Four and eight years ago, I made public disclosures about my predictions for the Presidential elections. In both elections, I got the entire map correct. <back pat> (I was especially pleased with 2012; virtually nobody got that one right.) The streak probably stops at two.
This year, I have far less confidence in polling data, the American polity and my own ability to read the tea leaves. However, the conversation keeps coming up so I might as well give it a shot. What do I have to lose? Besides the rest of my sanity…
So here’s my map: http://www.270towin.com/maps/RJjN4
Go ahead, explore it, analyze it, mock it. I’ll wait.
My prediction is that in a couple months, Hillary Clinton will be the first woman since Catherine the Great to be the most powerful person on Earth.
Yup, I have it Clinton 342- Trump 196. That includes a couple tricky oddities. 1- Omaha area district peeling off for her as it did Obama in 2008 and 2- Clinton winning Ohio despite polling leads for Trump. I figure that between Kasich’s disdain and The King’s support, Trump has to contend with two of the three most important men in that state. (I assume Urban Meyer is a Trump voter.)
I also kept Utah, Arizona and Georgia red. Those all feel very tricky to me. Utah, because of the Evan McMullin factor, would not surprise me if Trump, Clinton or McMullin won. Trump’s disastrous misadventures in wooing Mormons are the stuff upon which a reality show might be based. If he wins there, it will be because of voter inertia. If Clinton or McMullin wins, it will be because there is a rare, genuine opportunity to send a political message. In that battle, I generally assume inertia will win out.
Georgia is just a mess. Ditto for North Carolina but for different reasons. We should just accept that North Carolina is now a blue state. Tar Heel blue in fact.
I’m also not going to be surprised if Arizona goes to Clinton. Just because McCain resurrected his campaign doesn’t mean Arizonans are actually going to support Trump.
The surprising takeaway from a 342 number for me is that it would push Clinton beyond Obama’s Electoral College haul in 2012. I’d never have guessed that a year ago.
One more day until history’s made!
FDO
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