Gene - Reminds me of the protests of the 60's in D.C. and there's always the universal:

some guy with a cold can of beer,
seated in his patio shade,
calls to his neighbor,
what the hell is the fuss about?

- David

This Is Bold & Very Power Stated Like A News Caster!
& All I can Say is we are very backwards
not as a whole, but the whole country suffering from political bullshit & blind eyes, or just some serious ignorance!
I don;t even want to get started on the banks!
If I could, or if that part of us could, they would come on down to their knees & get a swift kick of reality check
Peace, Love & Poetry
Vickie

hey mean Gene seems a little like, my poem State of the economy," most of these people protesting don't even have their own lives under control, good one

So sad and all too true Gene. Nicely written my friend.

Hey Gene...nice work on this poetic expression of the daily grind filling our minds...your thoughts give us that reality check on the world in review...and then you end with the guy wondering what is the fuss, let me drink my beer...

nice work Gene...


Art Sun...

Excellent poem,take care

Edwin

Brilliant piece, my friend... if only it were heard...

Myrna

Gene,
From a dog-eared notebook comes indignation and frustration at how we've gone and what we've become, these snapshots are indictments of our value systems or more significantly the lack of them. This is powerful and comes from an honest heart and an eloquent voice. Bravo!
John

Powerful dose of reality my friend.......I admire the social statement you make with such raw imagery.......Well done indeed.....

Bill

It is a stark reality Gene and you say it well.
I am aquainted with many people just like this and,
sadly, many of them are in my own family.

Gene, you captured the hypocrisy perfectly in this snapshot. This poem teaches us to watch what they do—not what they say.

Do you ever get the feeling that they keep stirring the pot of dissension among the ranks...so that a state of confusion rules, and nothing is ever resolved... and you are too busy to notice
Powerful piece, Gene

Carole~

apathy, the malaise that eventually infests societies where freedom has become too easy -- it is then that socialism rears it's ugly head and freedom and democracy are snatched from the citizenry by the greedy politicos -- written with excellence and conceived with compassion Gene -- perhaps your message will arouse a few more individuals with a call to have government once again be representative of the people's wishes and not a self serving bureaucracy that is ever spiraling upward in scope, out of control --perhaps a few more individuals will also extend a helping hand to their neighbors experiencing hard times -- a little compassion -- much love, peace, and joy to you my dear friend -- Jon Michael

Ain't that the truth. Take away all their toys and luxuries and see how loudly they complain. I like this piece very much. Hugs, J'nia

For me, Gene, the last stanza is the thrust behind this poem as it is the voice of the "disconnect" that is so pervasive throughout the mainstream. Many isolate themselves in their own realities desensitized to all that lies outside. In some ways, this is a protective/defensive mechanism, but it is far too often simply a case of being oblivious to the big picture and how everything ultimately affects the whole.

"Meanwhile, across town,

where the Nation's government sits

no one thinks to protest bureaucratic

indifference to drugs, rape, incest, murder,

homeless Vets, kiddie porn, firetrap schools ..."

In our own backyard. While they're worried about taking care of the rest of the world, they're blind to the atrocities, HERE AT HOME - shame.

Powerfully penned, Gene. Well done.

(((HUGS))) and love, Karla.

Dear Gene,If everyone would care for his brother no one would grieve his father. There are always agitators among us. Nice poem. Thank you for sharing. Love Emile

.everybody's talkin' at me, i cant hear a word theyre sayin', only the echoes of their minds'. . . .. you remind me of classic folk and poetica; a little joni mithcell, dylan [either one], and guthrie. ... . and dun tell me you know these people [personally] or i'lls tart crying. . . .i want to be a lady of the canyon.
this is so urban immediate reflective and timeless in its stopstill worldview. .. like a frame in black and white, petrified, nonmoving, nonbreathing... . .like a gulp of centrifugal committed and contaminated air. . ..
also reminds of of ani difranco a bit.
loves it.
ness

Absolutely on target! Words of factual obervation from a man wo has written them for years. Does it get any better? Not until we get hungry and have to share with others what's left. A great p;iece of writing, My Friend. - Bill

Gene, your past notes show that we will always have our setbacks, but these days are so topsy turvy,unjust, unfair, and I fear they will get worse. It truly is a society overwhelmed with confusion!
We must hope and pray that calm leaders with wisdom will start using it.

Love,
Eileen

Why do you call it dog-eared as my ears don't look like a notebook? Rufuz

Says alot about your frame of mind & you're right, why do they not protest what seems closer to home...though the other stuff they were protesting is great, but...e