By Ron Faust
The scab of a wounded nation
Is being peeled off deliberately
Leaving a scar as an ugly reminder
That we are flawed and imperfect
The stark reality of a death wish
Makes lonely trees look brittle and cold
During the final gasps of four years
When the pandemic rampages over life
Contested elections and five executions
Reveal a fragile atmosphere of violence
In the entertainment before Inauguration
Before an administration begins to be well
Now is the time to do something —
Much easier when talking to core values
Like people with peace, justice, ecology,
Openness, authenticity, love in their lives
More difficult with those entrenched in
Right wing conspiracy theories, literalism,
Hypocrisy, control through patriotism
Warming the transition are colored lights
Hung on trees inside homes shining through
The doubts and fears of a shivering nation
While outside squirrels chase hope around.
11/30/20
(On occasion of an Amy Goodman report that the Trump administration has allowed the schedule of five executions, mostly black and one woman, before going out of office, which has not occurred in 100 years, signaling its propensity for violence; it had ordered seven other executions earlier in 2020.)
