My poem about the reactions to the World Trade Center towers disaster from my Baldheaded Poetry series.
The Saints Just Cried
by Jolie Blond
12/06/01
On the eleventh day
mad dog killers
flew airplanes into the World Trade Center towers
and the rich saw it
and saw that it was good
and they screamed
"Pay our debts! Pay our debts!"
and we all chipped in
and paid their debts.
And the rich saw the money
and saw that it was good,
so they laid off legions upon legions
of their employees
so they wouldn't have to share.
And the pure in heart said,
"Help the victims! Help the victims!"
and we all chipped in
and sent the money to charities
and the charities saw the money
and saw that it was good
and collected pennies from school children
and ran television ads asking for more
and cried copiously
and collected the money
and rent their clothes
and poured ashes on their heads
and promised to do good.
And the charities became rich
and saw that it was good
and said, "This is OUR money now,
the victims are trying to cheat us
out of OUR money!
We might give them SOMETHING,
but you can't expect us
to give it ALL away!"
And the people,
horrorfied by the carnage, cried,
"What can we do? What can we do?"
and the rich saw it
and saw that public sentiment was good
and the rich answered the cries,
"Save the rich! Buy our products!
Save the rich! Buy our products!
Show yourself a patriot:
Buy more stuff!"
And the politicians,
fearful that the people might find out
that THEIR bungling
had aided and abetted the enemy,
pointed to the east
and cried,
"Kill them! Kill them!"
and the killing began
and the politicians saw that it was good
and gave themselves a raise
when no one was looking
anywhere but east.
And the rich cried "Hallelujah!"
And the charities cried "Hallelujah!"
And the politicians cried "Hallelujah!"
And the people cried "Hallelujah!
And the saints just cried. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Beloved historical landmark Acres of Books is going to be erased like so many other Longbeach landmarks, forced into oblivion by eminent domain redevelopment thugery. Eminent Domain is the public enemy of small private property owners. Eminent domain should be used only for public needs in extreme cases and not use as a blank check to be cashed by real estate redevelopers transfering private property to commercial use for private enrichment using city powers. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Prose about a helium party balloon that lands in a vacant lot. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Blue Balloon
by Jolie Blond
10/07/01
Blue Balloon,
hovering two feet over a brownish, overgrown vacant lot,
like an off-color scarecrow,
like an airhead sentinel
guarding weeds.
From where have you come, blue balloon?
Did you escape the small, stubby fingers of a child,
breaking her young heart?
Did you tear loose from a grand opening,
floating away from your brothers and sisters unnoticed?
Were you carelessly anchored or did you struggle?
Or maybe you're a terrorist weapon,
anthrax spores mixed with your helium.
I saw you last night, blue balloon
bobbing and poking your plastic head a foot above the weeds.
Did you have a message for me?
For someone like me?
This morning I came out to visit you
and you were dead . . .or sleeping . . .
lying in the dirt amid the weeds
shrunken half last night's size,
immobile.
I never knew you, blue balloon.
I know you flew.
I know you soared to great heights
before you landed in the abandoned lot
where all manner of abandoned others landed;
broken stuff, unwanted stuff, unuseablle stuff:
worn tires and broken pots and candy bar wrappers . . .
but you flew there, blue balloon.
I'll give you that.
The street jargon a determined panhandler uses to try to bum a buck. Distributed by Tubemogul.
How to choose the proper shopping cart for your upcoming homelessness explained by an experienced bum. With increasing oil prices, decreasing home values and outsourcing, it might be time to start shopping the tools you'll need for your new al fresco lifestyle. Distributed by Tubemogul.
True story of El Camino College's own Maynard G Krebs, a bum who went to the community college in Torrance, California while he was living under a nearby bridge. The classes were free as long as you could pass the entrance exams and the showers at the gym were hot and luxurious for a bum. Distributed by Tubemogul.
http://www.elcamino.edu/
Mom and Sis live in a space, time and math warp. A family follies series. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Impressions of an after hours club rave. Sound composed in Garageband. Distributed by Tubemogul.
My granddaughter applies the chocolate cure to her little sister's separation anxiety. A Kendal upcoming filmmaker series. Distributed by Tubemogul.
My homeless attorney is headed for the elderly chain gang in Los Angeles for thousands and thousands of dollars worth of unpaid parking tickets. A series.
