I am not a patriot.
I kneel when called to stand
And rise when told to sit still.
I have no respect for flags
And those who wave them.
The engine of the trees buzzes. The dew is shaken,
Then lands in the mud on the wings of leaves.
The sheets contain us in their fuselage, and through the window
The world shines like naked aluminum.
I saw the rose bloom in thorns, her petals pierced
And bloody, her scent metallic, her countenance,
Once sanguine, sanguine no more, but pained,
Burned by the sun, depressed by the darkness
That since that horrid November had blotted
Out the moon until even the owls ceased to hoot.
“Man’s greatest tragedy is that he can conceive of a perfection which he cannot attain.” – Lord Byron
Tomorrow I will be perfect, but not
Today—for now the status quo, for now
I promise to pay for what can’t be bought
With promises; sweat builds upon my brow
I feel the appalling ache of existence,
And dip my swollen heart
Into the unfurled warmth of arms,
And skin, and words, and thoughts.
I’m insane, or at least not well, my brain
A flooded grave, the coffin cracked by roots
From a forest overgrown…she has slain
The dead once again, and from me no fruits
When children by gunfire die,
When the dreamer and the warden clash,
When statues betray the sculptor, we proclaim
This is not who we are.
I write from bed today:
Charlottesville bleeds, bloody hands
That keep hope at bay
With a smoldering gun and smoldering sands
That pierce the breast and burn the feet
Of those who from injustice ne’er retreat.
Suppose I told you that in first half of 2017 Capital Good Fund had experienced a net loss of over $798 million, yet for a brief time our stock was worth more than that of Bank of America, and this despite the fact […]
And yet, is a kiss that different from a hug,
from a poem, from a text? Neither nature nor science
has anything to say on the matter. Love follows no rules
save those set by her practitioners.
I am the Founder & CEO of Capital Good Fund, a nonprofit social venture seeking to tackle poverty through financial services. I am also a writer, poet, cyclist, and avid reader. Enjoy my blog!