Somewhere, over there
Many thousands of miles
Lies my homeland
Where so much
Has gone so wrong
Democracy has been wounded
Stabbed by the flailing blind
Compelled by ignorance and fear
I don’t understand
How some can harbor so much hate
Such indecency, festering, fertilized in the dark
Fair play, they don’t understand me
With my avowed insistence
That stones should not be cast against a stranger
Just because you never walked a mile
In their blues
Where are the missing pieces that can unite us
And why
Is it still a puzzle?
Original Note: Reflections from Cómpeta, Spain. More to follow. I just need a few minutes to sit on a nearby hilltop and let nature remind me of what it was like before all the humans arrived and jacked things up. Cheers.
New Note: Previously published, no changes made. These were my thoughts on a pensive sunny day in southern Spain, two years ago, looking west and reflecting. My heart aches that my quiet song still remains the same, with The Covid raging and the Republicans still dis-engaging from their sworn oath to represent all of the people, all of the time. Decency has been wounded by the morally-bereft puppets of The Pumpkin, but pumpkins are not the only fruit in the Garden of Life, and I must have faith that the madness will eventually lessen, come harvest time in the November elections.
My apologies to actual pumpkins, who just want to be loved, especially in pies.
Cheers, Part Deux.
Categories: Reflections
Bonnywood Manor 
Beautifully expressed… Thoughts poured with emotions…
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Thank you!
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great post!!
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Thanks, Swetha!
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Is it not sad that two years on its only feeling more fractured and disconnected? Plus the Great Pumpkin doesn’t represent a sweet slice of pie but rather hands us the offer of a nasty sandwich
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The worst of it is that it will take many years for the fractures to heal, if they ever do…
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Sadly—applies perfectly today.
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Exactly. Everything has changed and nothing has changed.
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I saw this quote today from Isaac Asimov who said in 1980: “Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.’”
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That’s profound! And sadly, profoundly relevant.
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Yes – so true. My take is that the last bit of this quote completely defines Trump and his flunkeys. I fervently hope that Trumpty Dumpty has a great fall. No real horses or real men for this giant rotten egg.
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Lynette, as Christi points out, that quote is powerfully relevant today. This might be oversimplifying it, but I think much of the divide in this country is the result of too many people enjoying cultural privilege and having never experienced discrimination or suffering…
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Favorite part:
Just because you never walked a mile
In their blues
I’ve been crying “foul” since Ronnie took credit for the release of the hostages when I was in 6th grade. My voice is small but I’ll continue to use it. There is hope!
And Oh-em-gee! That water…😍
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Ronnie was truly the start of it. His administration began dismantling the libel and slander laws that would have prevented Fox News and their ilk from ever being allowed on the air. We now have people who haven’t read or watched a legitimate news source in decades. It’s no wonder they are so disconnected…
Yep, that water was/is exquisite. I’m still despondent that we didn’t get to go this year…
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You’ll have to work harder than that to insult a pumpkin, they’re thick skinned.
As for the sentiment, I feel the same… and often wonder how the hell we got here.
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Fair enough, it requires a lot of effort to take a pumpkin down. And that odd way they can sit on a porch for months and still not decay? Something’s not right there. Which brings us back to Trump…
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He’s rotting from the inside, it’s just well covered up with bronzer.
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Reblogged this on ReBirth: The Pursuit of Porsha.
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Thank you!
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it still fits, now more than ever
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Yep. Same as it ever was…
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david byrne
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You okay? You can live anywhere you like, you know. I wish we lived in a world that was less upside down.
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Oh, I’m fine, just my usual disdain for ineptitude and willful ignorance. Sure, I can live anywhere. But my partner can’t, not right now. So I persevere and scribble words in the middle of the night… 😉
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A moving poem Brian.
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Thank you, Sadje. Southern Spain speaks to me in a different language…
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That’s cool. It’s the first time I read a poem on your blog. Loved it.
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😥 Such evocative imagery. I’m in awe. ❤
Let us sit on the rocks which overlook the amber waves,
rolling shore to shore, over a once great land.
Tyrants and indifference have toppled the formerly great.
Shattering the hearts of those who feel deeply.
Let us take each others' hand and reassure ourselves
that there are still some left who can mourn.
Who remember a better, kinder time.
Maybe we can turn the tide back to that former glory.
We must not lose hope.
Hugs Brian. You're not alone.
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This is a perfect companion piece for my own effort, sharing thoughts from both sides of an ocean. I’m saving this to a file, with the hopes of someday sharing them together somewhere…
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❤
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I think ex pats feel like you.
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Hopefully a LOT of people feel the same way and maybe we can finally work things out…
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Plus ca change!
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C’est vrai!
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I remember this one from its first appearance, loved it then, love it even more now. Come on, November, get here already!
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I really cherish all of my posts from Spain. I’ve babbled about it before, but my mind is just clicking and dreaming when I’m there…
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Great 👍
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Thank you!
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Storm can’t go on forever (although I advise not taking up astronomy and looking at the gassy giant planets in order to test this statement).
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No, I’ve had enough of looking at gassy planets, especially the ego in the White House…
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Really, really, really loved this one.
Really.
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And I’m really glad that you really enjoyed it. Isn’t it great when everybody’s happy? It makes things so much easier… 😉
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All truth. So sickening. I’m holding a lot of hope for November’s election. But then again.. it’s hard even to hope sometimes.
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It really is hard to hope at times. I keep waiting for more people to wake up, but there’s a lot of sleeping still going on…
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Bravo Brian.
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Thanks, Margo! Hope you’re doing well!
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great..loved it!
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Good work.
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Thank you!
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Love this, well penned.
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Thank you!
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The United States is such a beautiful country with friendly people and extraordinary contributions to mankind. But your haunting piece asks the big questions I’ve been wondering about, too. I hope better times are ahead.
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It’s just mind-boggling to me how folks are so vehemently divided these days. As a country, we’ve somehow lost the ability to play nice, even if our views are different…
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