Birth Certificate? We Don't Need No Stinking Birth Certificate!

Please shut up about the birth certificate already! It is just a distraction from the real problems facing our country. What I can't understand, besides people watching his bad show, is why some people are actually saying they want Donald Trump to be the Republican presidential candidate? Really? Does anyone remember the guy inherited millions of dollars but still managed to go bankrupt? He owed so much money to the banks he was too big to fail, and they managed his fiances for him putting him on a half million dollars a day budget. Please think about that, $500,000.00 bucks a day. He is already out of touch with 99% of Americans so please don't put him in charge of our money. Wake up America and smell the coffee! The Coffee Party is growing check it out.

First Place in The Political Poet Poetry Competition

SOUND EFFECTS IN VISTA

Boom-ah-boom-ah-boom-boom.

The walls and tables quiver.

The F-18s are at it again,

Practice bombing the Whiskey

And Zulu regions of neighboring

Pendleton. They carpet bomb

While I’m stretched on the carpet.

Fluffy folds her ears, scrambles

For cover. They bomb through

Letterman's monologue—I pretend

The jerk next door's banging his drums.

The windows rattle like hippie

Tambourines. Newborn hawks

Scream at the planets and stars.

by Kirby Wright

About the Author Kirby Wright

Kirby Wright was born and raised in Hawaii. He is the author of the companion novels PUNAHOU BLUES and MOLOKA'I NUI AHINA, set on the islands of Oahu and Moloka'i.

He wishes to dedicate his poem to the memory of his father, Harold. S. Wright.

Second Place in The Political Poet Poetry Competition

Buddha

The ghost, the pine, the quarter moon

fading. The hay sits like a still life

waiting.  Blue surrounds the figure

seated on the hill, wrapped

in sky and earth.  The dearth

of crickets rides with dawn. 

The sky is teal over auburn hills

over olive grass beneath sandy

hay beneath Buddha within breath.

Out of time means nothing

but time.  Space is no-space

within which to let breath

go, swirling to the ends

of the fuzzy image and beyond

to the impartial whiteness

that is the true universe.

Versed in hills and hay yet

outside of them is how we reach

stars without grasping, without gasping

at their enormity.

We can touch the night, we touch

the night, we the night

and sitting outside of it.

by Taunja Thomson

About the Author Taunja Thompson

Taunja Thomson's poetry has been published in The Cincinnati Poetry Review, The Cincinnati Poets’ Collective and, most recently, in The Licking River Review. Additionally, she won the poetry category of Northern Kentucky University’s Women’s Studies Creative Writing Competition in 2003, and her poem “Seahorse and Moon” was nominated for a Pushcart Award in 2005. Taunja currently lives in Kentucky with her husband and four cats and maintains her poetry blog, Beneath Cherry Blossoms.

Third Place in The Political Poet Poetry Contest

Passionate Crosshairs

It’s too late to panic, there are crosshairs

all over everything, it’s rutting season

and America is shedding common sense.

Political correctness has taken offense,

and has lined up the cross hairs on the

crosshairs of crosshairs, and it’s stroking

the trigger lovingly, seductively… breathe.

The metaphors have drawn their swords,

and the battleplan defies all definition.

The tyrants of fantasy demand the right to

control wagging tongues, reality be damned.

Crosshairs are to be outlawed for optimal

inaccuracy, you have the right to arm your

mind but you can’t be allowed to see… hold.

In the sight of optical allusion, a metaphors

last stand, a definition surrounded by passion,

by bloodlust, by a language of hateful rhetoric.

Surrender is not an option, resistance must die.

The battle cry is semantic and imagination is

burned, the dictionaries pages torn by intellectual

efforts designed to appease the unbalanced evil

that parades as a deranged berserker killing

everything in its path, ignorant of orders… pull.

The shot has been fired, it travels the fine line

of the crosshairs but the metaphor is too fast.

Hiding behind innocence the bullet finds its

mark, and the truth bleeds out by definition.

Now in shackles the metaphor of imagination

is lead shuffling, its feet in the chains of opinion.

A scapegoat, captured and tortured until a guilty

confession is obtained, back by popular demand.

A metaphor, drawn and quartered, in the crosshairs.

by MrDaMan

Virgil R. Hall II (Randy)

About the Author Virgil R. Hall II

I play with the fire in my head and as my soul burns I try my best to translate the empathy of my mind’s eye. That's all; I am but a camera taking snapshots through the shutter of my soul. Trash or treasure is all a matter of perspective. As long as it is fun and entertaining I will continue to write and explore the melding of images, poetry and music. Virgil R. Hall II is my given name; "MrDaMan" is my internet nick which I have adopted as a pen name of sorts.

My friends know me simply as Randy. Destiny is the road we travel, not the destination. I am but a Humblebee floating in empathy. My path currently lies in Southern California. http://TalkLiberty.com

How to Polish a Budget Turd

How do you polish a budget turd? The Washington spin doctors for both sides of the isle excel at it.

First, you wax that turtlehead with extensions and delays so the public loses interest.

Second, you scare the public with talk of overzealous cuts to social programs causing loss of women’s rights, environmental disaster, implosion of our educational system and the end of life as we know it from one side; however, the other side terrorizes the public with rhetoric about the spending cuts not going deep enough causing financial collapse, higher unemployment, an insolvent social security system and the end of life as our great, great, great grandchildren will know it due to debt.

Third, both sides threaten to shut down the government causing wide spread panic about slowing down the already horribly sluggish economic recovery. Already knowing neither side will get completely what they want, both sides posture for the press as if this were the week before an election because they are standing on their principles?

Fourth, you wait until the last minute to put that final coat of wax on the budget turd to get that imitation victory shine. When everyone thinks the government will shut down leading to disaster, you pass the budget turd out in the eleventh hour acting like you fought through a battle with constipation to do the job you are paid to do in the first place, and the public will be grateful. Voters won’t realize that both sides ended up compromising like they could have done last September.

Hopefully, the fact Belgium has made it over a year without a government will go unnoticed. Their garbage is still being collected and their schools are still in operation; basically, life didn’t end when their government shut down over constitutional reform. They are probably in for some rough times with debt problems of their own. Their country is barrowing about 100% of their gross economic output for operating costs, and they have an aging population which will make their expenses go even higher. Sounds familiar doesn’t it?

Unfortunately, I think our government’s recent turd should have been flushed. For all their talk about business creating jobs, the Republicans and Tea Party have forgotten the first rule of business, sometimes you have to spend money to make money. The Democrats have missed the boat because they should have pushed to add programs which would have spurred economic growth, creating new businesses and jobs before they caved on tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans. I’ll say it one more time Tea Party people. We need to grow our tax base to get rid of the deficit not gut our police, firefighters and teachers like budgetary pigs, and you don’t grow your tax base by getting rid of Planned Parenthood or forcing women to have unwanted babies. You’ll just get a bigger population not necessarily more jobs.

By the way, don’t think I’m a tax and spend Democrat. I think taxes should be reduced especially for businesses. Our corporate tax rate should be lowered to make us competitive with the rest of the world, but we need to close loopholes that let those same corporations not pay any taxes. Fair is fair after all. If we are going to give any credits to businesses, they should be tied to job creation. Voters should remember that businesses pass on any taxes to their consumers in the end so business taxes are a wash. We end up paying them in the end anyway so why not get some jobs back. As for the richest Americans, I wish I had to pay $5 million dollars in taxes. Do you realize how much money that means I got to keep? I’d say cut their taxes even more, but only after we see some real economic growth, or give them tax credits only after proving they created jobs in this country. (You have to add that.) Quit giving them tax breaks causing a larger deficit larger than the social programs you just cut on a vague promise they create all the jobs. I didn’t see one of these rich people the last time I called a plumber or an electrician when I created work for some real Americans. Where is my tax break? They must be hiring an awful lot of plumbers. Maybe it’s from trying to pass all those polished turds?

Fourth Place in The Political Poet Poetry Competition

Oil Disaster 2010

BP Oil devours the earth with deadly holes, never to atone,

As ghoulish, golden, greedy hands feed upon the dead-zone.

Stunned by viscous tar ablaze, the oil rigs drill and blunder,

Beneath the butterfly lily and green ocean days of summer.

We sanctify this vicious crude eagerly spoiling the earth,

While hydrocarbons depend upon this dark and lifeless turf.

Capitalist tongues digest the lies to clean-up this disaster,

While gallows of hidden steel cloaks, drill wells even faster.

Citizens of ice and stone are blatantly detached,

Consumer complacency is taking our futures back.

Owners, greedy to exchange, decayed plankton to deliver,

As lifeless toxic sludge thrives let all creation quiver

Our country boasts about freedom and human rights.

While politicians detach from this eyeless, micro biotic plight.

Feasting on sludge small fish die and feed bigger fish who then expire,

This un-natural food chain breeds only upon our desires.

by Julie Heckman

About the Author Julie Heckman

Born in Chicago I became a Californian at three years old. After the usual teenage drama I entered California State University Los Angeles. There I procured a MA in Art degree and spent the next fifteen years owning my own graphic design firm, Julian Berlin Productions, that produced greeting card among other things that were sold throughout the US Europe and Canada. I became interested in Teaching 7^th grade and returned to University again for a Teaching Credential. I taught for four years. After this I went back to university to the School of Theology at Claremont and procured a Masters of divinity and a Doctor of Ministry. I worked as a minister for a few years then became disabled and retired. Now I spend most my days reading and writing poetry.

Why Should the Politicians Have All the Power?

Will they shut down the government or won't they? Anyone else tired of seeing our elected officials strut around posturing for an election year 2 years away? I say why should they have all the power? We should take back our country by staying home 1 day and shutting everything down for 1 day. We should just pick a day and do it. I know people who work in emergency care and health professionals can't just stay home. Neither can police or firemen, but why not everyone else just to remind the idiots in Washington, D.C. who they work for? I think they forget that they work for us not us for them. They work for us not just big business or foreign countries that lend them money they shouldn't be spending. Maybe if we could all just agree on that one point we can all see it is time for a house cleaning of both parties.

Another Great Review for Raven Wings and 13 More Twisted Tales

"Two of them (Raven Wings and A little Bit Of Java) were especially creepy, but very well written.

Franks writing style reminds me of a cross between Stephen King, Edgar Allen Poe and The Twilight Zone."

                                                       - Sarah's Blog of Fun

See the full review at Sarah's Blog of Fun

http://www.sarahsblogoffun.com/2011/04/raven-wings-and-13-more-twisted-tales.html

FIFTH PLACE in The Political Poet Poetry Competition

STARS AND STRIPES (and kindlier gripes)
Give us stars for our right to assemble
and for free speech in venting our spleen
doesn't matter at all our political stripes --
the far left, the far right, in-between

There's the usual Dems and Republicans
but branching out further from there
at each end of our widening spectrum
complex heartfelt issues all air

Deep concerns leave many quite angry
bitter rivals won't always sway
but our mainstream agree that malice is not
the truly American Way

So let us have cooler behavior
our forefathers now remind...
spiteful action is quite far beneath us
in a nation intrinsically kind

Let vitriol fall by the wayside
fine manners once again flair
Agree to respectfully disagree on
common good & what's basically fair.

Opponents debating each other
minus hate in our land of the free
with One great and timeless reminder
Love of neighbor has always been key

Our empathy's ever praised worldwide
we're admired for our caring so true
'neath our own stars and stripes
let's have kindlier gripes
for our beautiful Red, White and Blue.
for our beautiful Red, White and Blue.
for our beautiful Red, White and Blue.

 by Alice Connally Fisk

About the Author Alice Connally Fisk

Alice Connally Fisk is a 72-year-old great-grandmother from Melrose, New York. She wrote the poem as lyrics to be turned into a music video on youtube.com with her partner Richard Melvin Brown to see the video follow the link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSRjwR3vwl4. Words and Music by Alice Connally Fisk (ASCAP) and Richard Melvin Brown (Socan).