Category Archives: Political and Philosophical Musings

Political Philosophy Writings

POEM: Lottery

I won the lottery Now I am able To outsource My neuroses Winning the lottery is probably one of the most common fantasies, particularly by the math-impaired.  Most people assume that getting a large windfall of money will make their life … Continue reading

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POEM: Escaping Hubris

Indigency is the quickest road Out of hubris Few of us can afford Its high price Hubris, or arrogance, is powerfully seductive in the human mind.  This excessive self-confidence seems to be an inescapable part of egocentricity.  Nonetheless, as humans … Continue reading

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POEM: Stage Coach

Stage Coach One day I lost my script And was taken back Only to have scene The other actors Guise Now In the audience Having won More stage Contracted This is a good example of one of my elegantly ambiguous … Continue reading

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POEM: Awkward Phase

I often find myself stuck in that awkward time between birth and death My Dad is fond of saying, “The only constant is change.”  Life is dynamic.  Buddhism teaches that no thing is permanent in itself; but rather that every … Continue reading

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POEM: Serendipity and Dippity Doo

On occasions I find it easy To believe In sarin gas And dippity doo Rather than serendipity These are not special occasions While many of my poems have an edge to them, my body of work is decidedly hopeful.  This … Continue reading

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POEM: Infectious Hope

Hope is a blood-borne pathogen The seed of martyrs Inflaming that allergy to injustice Present in us all Infected by a singular epiphany Of friend and foe Alike I see hope as an irreducible reality in human nature.  Just like … Continue reading

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POEM: Countless Dawnings

Countless Dawnings Now I find myself In the middle Of the night Before futures tolled Unfettered from the past Heedless of tomorrow’s agenda Yesterday’s experiences Nothing but gleaned fuel Abundantly supplying Mediums in a peerless world Wear darkness is my … Continue reading

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Terminal Terminology: Redefining CANCER

A recent news story about redefining cancer raises the issue of how powerful something becomes depending on what we call it.  In this case, I call it “terminal terminology.”  Cancer diagnosis and treatment is literally a growth industry.  About half … Continue reading

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POEM: Work Week

One day I didn’t feel like going to work Some people call them weekdays This one goes out to all of you who feel, chronically and/or acutely, that going to work is, well…work.  I wouldn’t mind being the guy who … Continue reading

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POEM: Incompetent Evil

I don’t care much for evil I don’t care much for incompetence Though when present together Incompetence becomes a blessing As in math, sometimes in morality, multiplying two negatives can produce some positive results.  There is at times some hope … Continue reading

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POEM: Barbarian Hordes

Only after building the wall To keep the barbarian hordes out Did I realize That we are the barbarian hordes Exclusion is the most barbarian practice.  Inclusion is the most enlightened practice.  To evolve in our humanity we need to … Continue reading

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POEM: Pillar of the Community

I have a well-paid job I am a captain of industry I am a member of platinum circles I am a pillar of the community My name will live on On plaques And maybe a street I need not Pay … Continue reading

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POEM: Lifting Fog

Lifting Fog You can’t fight city hall They are too big to fail We are too small to make a difference A mere drop in a vast sea These lies can travel through vast deserts of grief and despair Like … Continue reading

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POEM: As We Press Release

As We Press Release The defense department denies killing civilians The state department denies human rights abuses by trade partners The department of energy denies that nuclear power is anything but safe The criminal justice system denies institutional racism The … Continue reading

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POEM: Wading for Gödel

Wading for Gödel A play of mathematical imprecision Fraught with everlasting interpretations Malingering, idoling away the ours For a character whose reputation must impossibly precede him Like the brutal distinction of jealousy and envoy More afraid of the unknown than … Continue reading

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POEM: God is Love

God is love And everything else If there were anything else The classic formulation of “God is love” is attractive to many people of good will; perhaps, because of its implicit assertion of nurturing life as a primary characteristic of … Continue reading

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SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER: A Christian Perspective on Justice

Here is a portion of a document that I drafted a couple of years ago while I was a board member of Toledo Area Ministries (TAM).  It was never adopted in any form, but I put a lot of work … Continue reading

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POEM: Cameras Everywhere

Cameras, cameras everywhere Yet what do they survey? Eyes, eyes everywhere Yet few can see the way Big brother is here.  Whether it is surveillance cameras, web or cell tracking, financial transactions or legal documents, you are being watched.  Watched … Continue reading

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POEM: Slow Boat to China

Some days I feel like I’m on A slow boat To China Then it hits me More like Being water boarded In America My life is generally at a pretty relaxed pace, and with this I have no complaints.  However, … Continue reading

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POEM: I am

The other day I got kicked out Of an atheist’s club Told in no uncertain terms There is science And no other! And I am left To wonder Wow, where did that come from?! I was raised A Christian A … Continue reading

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