• Inauguration Day – Sherman Pearl
• Uncle Sam and Aunt Emma – Jim Smith
• January 16, 2009 – Mark Lipman
•••••••••••
Inauguration Day
By Sherman Pearl
At last—the sun sauntering in
from the darkness
three centuries late.
I shower, scrub away
yesterday’s grime;
my skin sparkles
in the bathroom’s light.
my 5 o’clock shadow
vanishes under the razor,
along with the wrinkles;
my face turns fresh
as tomorrow.
I clear my throat
For the speech I imagine
myself delivering
on the courthouse steps;
words I rehearse in the mirror
blare like a fanfare
In conclusion
I sing God Bless America
to be sure the words
hadn’t died of disuse.
it seems appropriate
to stand naked as Adam
at the beginning of things;
feels right to linger
this way, exposed
to peeping birds
and quarrelsome squirrels
I’ll wear my best robe
to the easy chair
when I watch the future
unfold on TV.
Looks like a good day for it;
clouds swirling, unsure
of which way the wind
Is pushing them;
sun ducking behind them,
then bursting through
•••••••••••
Uncle Sam and Aunt Emma
By Jim Smith
Sam, you’re no good
everyone knows it
You act so hot because you’re our uncle
but you can’t get along with anyone
always starting fights
and coveting what your neighbor has
What you need is a good woman
to teach you how to live.
I have one, said Sam
You have what? I demanded.
A wife, he nearly whispered,
name’s Emma
You know – New York harbor
“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
Yada yada.
Emma Lazarus is my aunt?
I asked in shocked disbelief.
The one and only, confessed Sam
But why aren’t you together? I said.
Well you know, she was always getting mad at me
for invading some place or another
and beating hell out of those union organizers
Then the McCarthy Committee got after her in the 50s.
Well, Sam’s wife must be above suspicion.
So we went our separate ways.
Then what happened? When did she die?
Oh she’s still alive alright.
We symbols don’t die,
at least not like mortal men.
I want to see her, I said
After all she is my aunt.
Sam gave me a hard look, then said,
She’s living in a little bungalow
over in Venice, by the beach.
But watch out sonny,
she’ll talk your ear off.
Gave me “what for” the other day
about Guantánamo and the Patriot Act
– all that stuff – torture, wire tapping
Well, you know, you shouldn’t be doing that,
I said. He scowled, but nodded his head
I know, I know. But its a dangerous world out there.
Not so! I said.
Never in history has it been safer, more civilized.
Except when you come around.
Watch yourself, sonny.
He was glaring at me now.
You’re beginning to sound
like your Aunt Emma.
Sam, you and Emma need each other.
You may be a colossus, but she’s got your heart
I’m makin’ it my business to get you two back together.
Well, a lot of people ask about her, Sam acknowledged
And it was kind of nice to be a respected couple.
I’ll give it a try, Barack.
But I ain’t promisin’ nothin’
I might see it your way,
but, then again, you might see it my way.
•••••••••••
January 16, 2009
By Mark Lipman
Four more days
Four more days
Heaven help us
Four more days
On your feet
Four more days
Do not sleep
Stay awake
Four more days
Four more days
We take our country back
For all those who have come
And fallen before us
Who did not make it
But fought, so that we could see
In our lifetimes
The dawning of a new day
Four more days
Four more days
The usurper
And all his minions
Will be chased out of the house
To the throwing of shoes
In four more days.
Now the work has just begun
It is up to us
Each and every one
Starting with me and you
It is time to throw down their chains
To unbind our hands
And pick up the responsibility
Of taking this planet
In a new direction
One in where the words
“Liberty and Justice For All”
Actually stand for something
One in where the words
“Freedom and Democracy”
Are more than just slogans
One in where I can feel good
About bringing my children into
That’s the world I’m talking about
Four more days.
Are you ready?
Then let me see you on your feet
Four more days
The work has just begun
Do not fall back now
And bring an extra pair of shoes
We’ve got a lot of walking to do
This is the beginning
Of the end
Of tyranny
But only if you get up
On your feet
But if for only once
You take to the streets
And say “No” when you witness injustice
When you stand up
For the little guy
Because it is the right thing to do
When you care
When you care enough
To help someone you don’t even know
Just because
Because
Whether black, white, or brown
We all share something in common
Humanity
We are all one
With whatever God there may be
And whatever you do
Unto the least of my creatures
You do unto me.
Can I get an amen?
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