Who empowers these dictators, anyway,
to stand on balconies
full of piss and vinegar
shaking their fists in the face of liberty?
Is it the uniform,
or what?
But power burns like hydrogen,
and the hovering ship of state
kept aloft by the tyrant's power
ignites, combusts and falls
with dizzing speed.
With power gone,
the tyrant all shrunk
stares from hollow eyes
fixed on death or prison,
a spent shell.
An empty sack.
defunct.
TODAY IS ONE OF THOSE DAYS when the poem and photographs don’t have anything at all to do with each other. The poem put itself together slowly over the past couple of weeks as the world watched Algeria, Egypt, and Libya shake off the burden of long-time dictatorships. The citizens of several other Middle Eastern countries scared the daylights out of their oppressive rulers. Closer to home, I’m celebrating reunion with a longtime friend and introduction to his son and his friends. Pain and grief and determination to be free for people in one part of the world... Safety and comfort and freedom for our friends and family on our side of the world. I guess it's not supposed to make sense.
AND WOULD YOU BELIEVE... SNOW BEHIND THE SAN DIEGO SKYLINE?
1 comment:
At the Board of Ordained Ministry I spoke of the need to be very intentional about looking at our decisions through a variety of cultural, ethnic, racial, gender, sexual orientation realities. Otherwise, we'll want the candidates for ministry to "look like us" and only like us. The reason was a comment someone made about a 2 hour worship being unnecessary. Judy attends an inner city congregation where that is the norm and the congregation is growing. It's representative of the racial and ethnic mix of that congregation. White privilege is all about keeping it white. Dictators? Keeping the church "straight" is a form of the same. Dictators? English only spoken here. Dictators? When people unite for the common good whether it be in northern Africa, Egypt, Palestine, or our city streets it's an attempt to be open to the amazing essential unity we share as human beings who want the best for each other and are willing to put ourselves at risk to achieve it. Dictators, I don't like them and don't like it when I'm one of them.
Bob
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