The Blood Seeped into Sand Creek

When the last dust settled, 

when the last blood spilled, 

nearly two hundred lay dead 

They were known and peaceful 

They were women and children, 

Arapaho and Cheyenne 

and the murderer 

was the U.S. Army 

Endless betrayal, 

more treaties ignored 

in the quest for their land 

and the thirst for their heads 

The ambushed, 

unsuspecting bodies 

had suffered the 

most vicious deaths 

Mutilated, murdered 

Scalps, fingers, genitals 

taken as trophies 

The savage we saw 

was simply 

our reflection 

in the mirror 

2 Dec 2019

Discussing Racism in America

But this is different

This time it’s not about race 

Wash, rinse, and repeat 

11 Dec 2019

Watch the poem performed with Danielle Nicole Nikki Dixon

Congratulations on Your Impeachment

We know it’s been 

bothering you

Numbers are 

the very thing

you most love 

to brag about

Inflated, incorrect,

alternative numbers

For years, 

you’ve had to 

distort numbers,

setting records

only in your head

Finally, sir, 

you set a record

without hyperbole,

without exaggeration,

without even a sharpie

You rose,

or should I say fell,

to the occasion

The honor is yours,

an unprecedented 

presidential accomplishment:

the most votes

in American history

Even, 

for your first time ever,

more votes than a Clinton

Celebrate your accomplishment,

Mr. President!

Take a vacation

in some far off place

Leavenworth 

sounds like a nice fit

20 Dec 2019

If Teachers Were Farmers

Her kindness 

was never 

questioned

everyone praised 

her love for 

her students

her gentle 

nurturing 

evident for 

weeks and weeks 

until her students’ 

bellies began 

pushing against 

the buttons 

of their clothes

properly fattened 

on the feed she 

provided 

She gave them each 

one final hug 

as she turned 

on the blades 

and lowered 

them inside 

The screams echoed, 

the tears fell, 

the blood spilled 

But it was, 

after all, 

only one bad day 

in the lives 

she had provided 

for them 

and how she 

loved them 

during their 

brief time 

on Earth 

She is proud 

of the food she made 

for others to enjoy

the people were hungry 

for the tender flesh 

that fell from their bones 

and were willing 

to call the process 

love

while opening 

their mouths and 

turning their eyes 

away 

21 Nov 2019

There Are Times I Feel Like John Turturro

I’ve spent many a night

with John Turturro

Well, to be fair,

he was using 

a different name

at the time,

Pino or Paulie

or Bernie Bernbaum

Pete Hogwallop

has bantered in 

my living room

on multiple occasions

And, sure, 

he isn’t always 

a great guy,

I wouldn’t leave 

Jesus Quintana 

unsupervised

with my children

Turturro can be tender,

but also gruff, 

even despicable

But each night

we’ve spent together,

no matter the 

pseudonym, 

is no less real than 

any other

And if I’m being honest,

maybe we aren’t 

that different,

he and I

I might not change

from Herbie Stemple

to Barton Fink

with the flick 

of a button,

but I do change

I’ve played roles,

without the camera rolling,

acted in ways 

to fit my surroundings,

to make a better 

first impression,

to maintain professionalism

before clocking out

for the day 

to relax at home 

and be myself,

maybe grab a DVD

and see who John

will be tonight

20 Nov 2019

Disposable Earth

Disposable forks

Disposable spoons 

Disposable knives

Plastic straws

Styrofoam trays

Disposable lives

We throw it all

in a place called

“away”

Away to our landfills

Away to our seas 

We won’t let the Earth

get in the way of our needs 

or our wants and our thrills,

the extra seconds it takes

to refill a water bottle,

to wash a few plates

Disposable Earth 

Oblivious to our fate,

We decided to tack on

an expiration date

27 Nov 2019

A Turkey is Pardoned, Though the Crime is Ours

A turkey is pardoned, 

though he committed

no crime

Spared from the

cold, brutal detachment

of our taste buds

A turkey is pardoned

on the White House lawn

While fifty million others

fail to receive even 

a hint of consideration

A turkey is pardoned, 

though the crime is ours

Hiding behind

a façade of mercy,

offering none

26 Nov 2019

See the poem performed with Dr. Milton Mills and Lynnette Brown

The Failed Candidacy of Eric Swalwell

In the days

of Howard Dean,

when your candidacy

could die with

just a scream,

passing gas

on the news

might have soiled

your reviews

But at this time

when in the 

White House sits

an orange-colored

pile of shit,

a shit with brains

not very smart,

I'd take my chances

with the fart

20 Nov 2019

Screaming With My Indoor Voice

As I look all around,

things sure don’t seem right

But be calm, I’m told

You must be polite

While they laugh at science

and plans that are green,

treating the planet

like an ATM machine 

Withdrawing continuously 

without a hint of regret 

Thinking, like America,

the earth will function in debt 

Be polite, they tell us,

don’t shout with the truth 

as we steal the future

breath by breath from the youth

Our whispers unheard,

our warnings unheeded 

Perhaps raising our voice 

is exactly what’s needed

But if I speak too loudly 

or with too much force,

it’s dismissed as cranky,

snowflake discourse

While we stand behind 

leaders the KKK endorsed 

and confirm judges who

fulfilled urges with force

At times such as these

silence can’t be our choice

Will it help if I scream

with my indoor voice?

A "radical" vegan

with the "radical" choice 

of choosing compassion 

to be my voice 

You ask for my calmness

while you pick up your knives 

and place your orders

to end their lives

I see violence and suffering

on plate after plate

But if I point it out, 

I irritate

I won’t sit in silence 

despite your request 

as you swallow your victims 

and let them digest

A strange definition 

of a personal choice

But I’ll try to scream

with my indoor voice

The Christians keep finding

more people to hate

while they brag that this 

will make America great

If we don’t see the need

for our voices to rise

then take off the red hat

that’s covering our eyes 

My silence may be

the easier choice 

but I choose to scream

with my indoor voice

I see ones I love

support causing harm

It’s long past time 

to ring the alarm

I can still love you 

and not agree with your choice

So I’ll love you while screaming

with my indoor voice

For love and compassion,

for justice and peace,

until all feel safe

when they’re stopped by police

Until our values

align with our choice

We all should be screaming

with our indoor voice

29 Sep 2019

Watch it performed

When You Tweet From Your Toilet, the Whole World Smells Your Shit

If you deleted

the tweets

laced with racism,

sexism, or xenophobia,

removed 

the ones that 

bullied and

called names,

erased the endless

blunders in spelling 

and grammar,

omitted the ones

that contain

at least one lie,

and blocked every

instance of 

shameless 

self-promotion,

his Twitter feed

would be as empty

as his heart

6 Nov 2019

Bargain Shopping

Listening to you
justify killing 
an animal
because the vegan 
version costs 
fifty cents more

Reminds me
how our country
compares human lives
to the price of oil

Calculating 
how much we save
when we pay with 
someone else’s life

1 Nov 2019

Watch it performed

Finding Your Home

The first day I met you,

you shit on the floor

Not all relationships 

start off on the right paw

A rescued pug,

old and noisy,

urinating everywhere,

in need of a home 

And my son 

was determined

that home 

would be ours

I remember how closely 

to me you slept

that very first night 

Your loud breathing 

made me wonder

if I would ever again 

know a good night’s sleep

To this day, you follow

me from room to room

Whimpering when 

I travel the stairs alone,

until I return to carry you

where your old legs

can no longer venture

on their own

You’re still old

and loud and smelly

and you still shit 

on the floor

But no one has ever

matched your excitement 

when I walk in the door,

regardless of the 

duration of our time apart

I feel your trust 

and your love

and offer mine

in return

How could I fail to 

love someone so sweet,

even when I have to clean

your shit off my floor

2 Oct 2019