In your laughter
I can hear
your tears.
poem- oasis August 30, 2014
Small oasis.
Forest of calm
amid desiccating storm.
Drop of water.
Rest.
poem- fight for rights #Iwillholdtheline August 29, 2014
I will fight for what’s right.
I will demand my government obeys the law.
I will fight for what’s right.
I will stand in defence of contracts illegally torn.
I will fight for what’s right.
I will not blink when it threatens
I will fight for what’s right.
I will shout about injustice and lies
I will fight for what’s right.
I will shame them before the world.
I will fight for what’s right.
I will hold the line.
.
.
Our British Columbia government illegally tore up our contracts in 2002 when our current premier was Minister of Education. We have fought for the last 12 years against this injustice. Two provincial Supreme Court decisions ruled against the government, stating that they violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The decision demanded the government reimburse us for what they took away. As well, the United Nation’s International Labour Organization ruled against their flouting of treaties and international agreements. We are on strike because a government that acts illegally must be held to account.
The most recent Supreme Court ruling was in February, 2014. You can read the ruling here. You will see constant references to how the government bargained in bad faith, provoked strikes, and acted illegally. They are still behaving the same way, so we are fighting to preserve fair bargaining for all working people, because if they destroy us, they will destroy every union in the province. You should care about this. You should care a lot.
poem- heard
Her words
weren’t heard
His dreams
were empty screams
Her wishes
were lost in riches
His sight
was bathed in light
Her trials
left her reviled
His loneliness
was his holiness
Their relationship
let sensations slip
They tightly gripped
their well-worn scripts.
poem-irony August 27, 2014
In the US,
Girl,
nine,
accidentally
kills her
shooting instructor
with an uzi.
.
In the US,
Kinder eggs
are illegal.
.
.
poem- middle August 26, 2014
For centuries
you were either rich or poor.
You had lots of power or none.
Until the merchant class
developed.
They educated their children,
and the middle class
evolved.
Now a minuscule percent of the population
holds the majority of the wealth, and the middle class
is crumbling.
The rich fight to grab
more and more wealth,
more and more power.
They fight to destroy
public education
and the health system
with elitist ideas about
who deserves what.
Sharing is better
than hoarding.
Spreading wealth
makes society better for all.
Teach everyone.
Heal everyone.
Crime goes down.
Life improves for everyone.
The feudal system
is futile.
poem-closer August 25, 2014
Some days
I can’t get close enough
to you.
I want to wrap
your skin around me
and hear our hearts
beat, blood bound,
against each other.
poem- night music
I was the lone
talentless one
in a room of musicians.
As each took his place,
at his instrument
I turned on the cassette
recorder, determined
to capture the moment.
I collapsed onto
the couch, in
blurry eyed reverie
as the music tangled
in my brain, filled the
basement, bounced
off the ceiling tiles.
The pianist glanced
into my starry eyes
and grinned.
The others teased
between their strings,
but words fell away
in the fog of my euphoria.
His lips curled upwards
on one side
as his eyes twinkled at mine.
When he packed to go
I rewound the tape.
I heard the
mangled mess of a
damaged tape.
Devastated, I
blinked through
tearful eyes.
Everyone laughed,
but he draped an
arm around my shoulders
and guided me up the stairs.
As his ride arrived
he whispered,
“Don’t worry.
I’ll make you
more music.”
And
he
did.
.
.
.
(Is it any wonder I wrote a book about this? lol Tonight, I had a flashback. Thought I’d share.)
poem-good company August 24, 2014
In this time
I can watch a TV show
and share thoughts
impressions
giggles
and sighs
with others watching
simultaneously
all across the country.
Humming Twitter feed
makes for good
company.
Unlike chickens.
.
.
#OutlanderCAN #kiltit This poem references a famous line from the first really intimate conversation between Jamie and Claire
“When I woke, I was trussed up in the wagon wi’ the chickens, jolting down the road to Fort William.”
“I see, I said quietly, “I’m sorry. It must have been terrible for you.”
“Oh, aye. Chickens are verra poor company, especially on a long journey.”
Diana Gabaldon. Outlander Toronto: Seal Books. p. 90
poem- once more
If I could
see you once again
I’d hold you tightly,
memorize the sensation
of your arms,
inhale the scent of your hair,
squeeze my love into your bones,
and pray the moment
does not end.
Shawn L. Bird 