Political Sarcasm

political grandstanding or simple cruelty

/ lyncrain / 2 Comments

My brother has colon cancer. If he was like you and me treatment would be readily done. But since, he’s in White Deer, Pa at FCI Allenwood that’s not the case. It took eight months of bleeding with every bowel movement before they would even allow him to have the MRI.

The Warden Thompson knows he is handicapped. He wears corrective footwear because his feet were severed forty-five years ago in an auto accident. The footwear supports his ankles so he can walk but the prison doesn’t provide them so he is wheelchair bound. So knowing this Ms. Thompson (warden) provides a bus that doesn’t have a lift and then says he can either crawl up into the bus or not have the MRI done. He’s crawled in the bus while the guards stand there laughing. Captain Klinefelter takes perverse pleasure in tormenting my brother. On more than one occasion has said, “the only way you’re leaving this facility with handicap assessible is in a body bag .”

The MRI showed a large mass and the oncologist says he needs immediate treatment but Allenwood cannot meet his medical needs onsite. My brother has told the oncologist as well about his denial of his footwear and wheelchair. Thankfully, at the hospital he is given a wheelchair once he has crawled out of the bus to the ground. Seriously sadistic treatment by the guards doing the transport. Where has human compassion gone?

His lawyer, Robert Sullivan is court appointed but with that comes equally as much frustration. I’m not sure if his caseload is overwhelming or he’s simply indifferent. I’ve written the attorney general with all the dates, grievances filed and denied requests but that’s where the political crap comes into play…. the legal system works inefficiently and slower than a snail’s pace.

I’m writing, hoping someone has insight that I don’t have. Everyone should have access to medical care. I’m not asking for his freedom, I’m simply asking he is transferred to a facility that can give him the appropriate care.

#FOWC

/ lyncrain / 2 Comments

Today’s word is “speech.”

Write a post using that word. It can be prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction. It can be any length. It can be just a picture or a drawing if you want. No holds barred, so to speak.

Allow me to speak, I’m typically not one to give a speech. I’m more comfortable with poetic verses than speeches. But this found poem could easily be a speech about our ludicrous political state.  There’s no illusions on my part, we’re totally fucked if that idiot is re-elected. The world wide mortification will be too much to bear.

Like It Is
Tell Me A Story
About The
Monkey in Business
ah, The Thrill of Mass Intimacy
Collaborators
Resisters
Now Lovers
Conspiracy
Corruption
What No Murder
Of, Course I Have Questions
Leave Me with No Illusions
with Sideshow Glances
Simply All the Mortification’s.

Now, if you aren’t familiar with Found Poetry it can be done with newspapers, books, anything that has words actually. In books I highlight the words because I don’t want to cut up the book whereas the newspaper I lie the cut up pieces all over my table. I grab a coffee and stare at the chaos. I pick different pieces of the paper’s titles or subtitles and begin creating. This particular one was completely the New York Times.

I have 4 Ziploc bags full of titles, and subtitles from the arts,books, and the news sections. I love creating found poetry especially when my muse is being resilient.
# NYTimes Titles and Subtitles
ah, is the only word added by me. Writer’s discretion.
It’s a whole new way of writing poetry that opens your mind in so many different ways.

Virtual Continent Hopping-29 Charlotte, NC

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30DBC+Aug+2020oops, guess I should have told you before we went to the beach crawl our flight was at 7:00, and we need to be at the airport at 5am. I bad *Rolling*

American has non-stop service from Los Angeles (LAX), Miami, Charlotte, NC, Miami, and Dallas-Ft. Worth. Flying times to Miami are two hours, three hours to Dallas, 3.5 hours to Charlotte, and five hours to Los Angeles.

30 Day I hope you grabbed a nap because our feet hit the ground we’re off and running. We’re doing a segway tour with Charlotte NC Tours. This Charlotte Segway excursion lets you see more in less time than if you were to take a walking tour. Zoom through the area to see Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, the Mint Museum, and Gantt Center. Plus, we extended our tour to see even more sights for just a few extra bucks we’re also seeing the stadium home of the Carolina Panthers and two cemeteries..

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g49022-d11453425-Historic_Up…

Our afternoon has gotten interesting on the Charlotte Comedy Bus.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g49022-d11477182-Charlotte_C…

This Charlotte comedy city tour, with multiple departure times, meets in town where you get settled and board the open-air bus. This is an adults-only tour, and adults of legal drinking age can BYO beer or wine if they want to sip and ride.

Drive through some of Charlotte’s most popular areas, including Uptown, Southend, Plaza Midwood, NoDa, and the Fourth Ward, and take in the views and attractions along the way. Learn cool facts about the city’s history, architecture, and culture. Historical tidbits are given with a dose of mature, adult comedy to get everyone cracking up. There’s one pit stop about halfway through your tour.Please note this tour takes the adult-only content seriously, and no one under 16 is allowed on this bus.
Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar before joining in the surprise that our BCoF friends have for us.
We’re going to grab a quick bite at
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g49022-d2433773-Reviews-Bad_Daddy_…
https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g49022-d11474988-Beyond_the_…

If you love getting spooked, look no further than this not-so-typical Charlotte history tour where you enjoy a scary evening stroll through the city. Pass some of Charlotte’s historic homes and medical institutions, see where the dead are interred, and enjoy the creepy mood as you’re guided by lantern. Along the way, enjoy your guide’s macabre tales, and learn about this American city’s ghastly legends.

Don’t forget to talk about your day, the things you saw and who surprised you.

Well, ladies since this is the next to last day, We’re hitting the ground with our feet racing. I’m excited to be back on US soil but also apprehensive because there are so many people still not wearing masks. WTF?
Do you remember the first time we used the Segways when we touring Europe together a couple years back. We had so much fun racing around on them. I’m excited to be doing it  with you again.

The Bechtler Museum of Modern Art was interesting because it is dedicated to the celebration and analysis of the strongest aspects of mid-century modernism as reflected in the holdings of the Bechtler collection.

But I was more thrilled about the Mint Museum and multidisciplinary artist Anne Lemanski,who is based in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. She creates everything from two-dimensional collage to three-dimensional sculptures. Her work focuses on the complex, sometimes tense relationship between humans and animals, and bonus her work is part of the Mint’s permanent collection so we get to see it evolve.

The ladies were pleased to discover the cooler on the bus that I had delivered with several bottles of wine and chilled glasses. We might as well get into the mood because once these entertaining comedians get done with us we’re on to grab a burger at Big Daddy’s then off to the cemetery.

I was assured this wasn’t a typical Charlotte history tour.  We’re taking a scary evening stroll through the city. Pass some of Charlotte’s historic homes and medical institutions, see where the dead are interred, and enjoy the creepy mood as we’re guided by lantern. Along the way, our handsome guide delighted us with macabre tales while we learn about this American city’s ghastly legends.

BCoF Prompt: Which one of these 15 Things to do in Charlotte  https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g49022-Activities-Charlotte_North_Caroli... is the most fun?

I was surprised Neva wanted to add more activities to our day. Guess since the night is young, why not do another
Haunted Charlotte Tour with a pub added feature. I enjoy being at bars at closing time so why not. I”ll catch up on my sleep when I’m dead.

Our guide is a lively young woman dressed in colonial attire. She knows her history and her brews. I have to admit the first history and ghost tour the guide was easier on the eyes but our young lady on the second was a lot livelier and didn’t hesitate in joining us for drinks and good conversation. She was quite impressed with all we accomplished in the past month.
She slipped me her phone number and asked that I let her know when we’re traveling again.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g49022-d18753211-Haunted_Cha…

Letter-c Day 20

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“If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” ~ Amit Ray

This message has been expressed in so many different ways but… yeah, there is always a but when it comes to actually doing it. It’s easier said than done.  I do reasonably well during the day at living in the moment, not focusing on the letter-c. However, it’s the night time. I fall asleep than the demons come alive and I’m awake. I long for the grace of silence, not the disturbance of the shadow of the letter-c. Damn you cancer.

I know I’m not alone in this because some one I know who’s also a cancer survivor recently and is still doing the six month check-ups has the same anxiety come night time. Cancer no matter what form it is has the same devastating emotional impact on the person battling it now, or in remission, or past the five year benchmark the lingering fear under the surface remains… cancer may not kill you this time but it can try again. “Reality is the leading cause of stress amongst those in touch with it.” ― Jane Wagner

My husband, Vic, said to me this morning after reading the quote I shared by Oscar Wilde, “You didn’t use the wrong fork. You didn’t do anything wrong. Cancer did. It chose the wrong woman to do battle with. You got this.”  His words reminded me of a lyric in a song I love… Tennessee Whiskey.

One because I do enjoy good bourbon. I love the smooth warmth that flows through your body as it slides down. In that moment, that’s how Vic made me feel. He knew what needed to be said. I’m so lucky to have him with me on this journey.  Sometimes no matter what stress is happening in your life, it doesn’t have to be cancer just having that one person who knows when and what to say in the moment makes all the difference in the world. There’s nothing more powerful than to love and to be loved.

“You’re as smooth as Tennessee whiskey
You’re as sweet as strawberry wine
You’re as warm as a glass of brandy
And honey, I stay stoned on your love all the time

I’ve looked for love in all the same old places
Found the bottom of a bottle always dry
But when you poured out your heart I didn’t waste it
‘Cause there’s nothing like your love to get me high” ~Chris Stapleton.

I just want it to begin so we can move onto other things but what will that be. Our country is ravaged with more and more covid-19 cases and it is only going to increase as more and more people let down their guard. We saw it with the opening of the beaches as Memorial Day weekend happened. People partied and left trash everywhere exposing others to risk.

Followed by the cruel murder of George Floyd and people took to the streets enraged by the actions of the police. I couldn’t believe how many people complained about the people gathering to protest but didn’t give a rats ass about the socializing that took place on the holiday weekend.It’s okay to ignore the stay at home orders and go hang out on the beach but its not okay to protest because of injustices committed by law enforcement.

My friend and I were talking about the current Black Lives Matter movement and I said the reason this situation is still happening is because of our need to have loopholes. We’re on this course of sorrow because the only knots that were tied were ones of hate. It will never resolve until hate ends and the likely hood of that is slim because social injustice generates money.

Thankfully, these protests have inspired action in the right direction but will the ball be dropped once again like it was in the 60’s early 70’s. I saw so many injustices as youth and then as a teen during the civil rights movement I never imagined that our country would sink to such shameful level as it has.

Apologies are simply words, back it up with laws that guarantee equality for all and get rid of the damn loopholes that exist in our society once and for all. King said it best, “I have a dream” in his famous speech. I need to believe that dreams aren’t just for the dreamers.

With all the many different levels of emotional stress happening right now that unfortunately I find it challenging to want to be any moment. Maybe cancer is a blessing after all because it has changed my focus. I’m writing more everyday. Some pieces are dark but not all. This one I wrote today, I haven’t decided what to name it nor am I am sure it’s finished. It’s a work in progress but then isn’t everything in life.

 as memories fade

mired by melancholy

like a mourning dove

bereft of of all joy

life gave ominous reminders

that pain is normal

and what remains

 is the comfort

knowing death awaits. ©Lyn Crain

 

Rage and Injustice

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Political Abuse Invites Promises

Promises denied in darkness

Darkness and lies comprise

Comprise lures trusting souls

Souls led into complacency

Complacency allowed zealots to strike

Strike fears flamed into silence

Silence enabled more abusive behaviors

Behaviors accelerate without boundaries

Boundaries violate trust and dignity.

Dignity denied to the innocent

Innocent betrayed by political abuse.

 

 

Loop Poetry is a poetry form created by Hellon. There are no restrictions on the number of stanzas nor on the syllable count for each line. In each stanza, the last word of the first line becomes the first word of line two, the last word of line 2 becomes the first word of line 3, last word of line 3 becomes the first word of line 4.

 

In this poem, I am not discussing physical or mental abuse but that of our present leadership. Hardworking immigrants betrayed and cast out because they were not born on this soil. Soil that we ourselves stole from the Native Americans with lies and guns. Here we are again, using political tactics, force when needed based on lies. Religious zealots claiming they’re making America great again when in fact all we’re showing is what an abusive culture we really are.

Normally, I do not engage in political commentary on my blog but then something happened to change my mind. A dear woman I’ve had the pleasure of sharing many writing experiences was one of the innocent immigrants tossed out of our country. She’s been twenty two years, has a social security card, worked, paid taxes. She’s done everything asked of her but time and time again red tape has denied her citizenship. She was tossed in a detention camp and treated similarly to how Hilter treated the Jews. We refused to believe that atrocities happened then as well. We’ve become a country that has selective sight, we overlook anything that doesn’t directly affect us. I’m guilty as well or I was until this became personal. She is a delightful woman who did not deserve to cast out of our country. She has broken no laws. She reported every week faithfully as required by the immigration board in  Atlanta. That belief in the system and that goodness would outweigh evil allowed this to happen. She should have fled but she didn’t.

We need to take our country back from this nightmare it is existing in. Normally, I don’t support violence but I’m beginning to believe revolution must occur for these tragedies to end. Innocent lives should not be treated as if they have no value. Families should not be ripped apart because of laws pushed by parties to gain influence.

I speak for the women, the children like my friend that believed this country was special but were hurt by the deception of our lies, America is not great. Bullies have become the new norm.

 

Quote and NaNoWriMo update

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“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.”~ Edgar Allen Poe

19,148 words thus far in Death and I, the story of Mairin, Bruce, and Death.

This weekend I wrote three found poems with snippets of the NY Times again. I had a great helper too. Macavity laid on the snippets and moved several which ended up being just what I needed. I used pieces of the different poems in my story with Mairin, too, so my cutting the newspaper became an exercise in creative thinking.

Phantom Threat

A family portrait for all humanity

blood, sweat, toil, and tears

unraveling racial hatred

prompts  crisis

in the darkest hours

of rivers and rituals

Happiness is for other people

those who stay

the once mediocre

seek some calm

apologize again

for them, it’s not discrimination

but

A war of words underway

The screaming just won’t stop

until

we seek our way to death.

*************************************************************************************

An enlightened friendship

when coffee brews a different spirit

in all its realness

speaks

Sweetness with a side of sarcasm.

*********************************************************

The metamorphosis

is an unwanted

brutal final indignity.

It penalizes what we had

in the

years of relying on what

no one knows.

The dots to greatness

remain unknown.

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Yup, he had a good idea. The coffee poem and the metamorphosis both improved with his help.

Life in America ©Lyn Crain

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Overtly anxious to
protect the world’s relics
with our entitlement mentality.
Let them eat kale
with their past glory.
In our never ending quest
for others to change
under the illusion
of peaceful intentions
we force iron fist methodology.
The party hats talk at us
pledging the lesser of two evils.
We are no stranger to these muddy affairs.
It’s the American dream!
Everything ends in an acquittal
and the chaos and terror continue.