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Poems and Essays
by Mankh (Walter E.Harris III) introduction IMPEACH: from Late Latin impedicare, fetter (as a foot), shackle, hinder MONSTER: from Latin monstrum, inauspicious portent or sign.
Typically there are signs or warnings before ‘shit happens.’ I think of this process as a pattern of mercy built into the universe. When not heeded and instead allowed to run amok, monstrums can take on a form-- anything from falling on one’s ass, to an addiction, an ex-lover who refuses to leave, a river-polluting corporation, a brainwashing media, a flagrantly offensive military force. . . Many of the modern monsters appear as the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. Whether a super-fancy-car-driving televangelist, or a clown pedophile, or a corporation that holds charity events with one hand while destroying natural habitats and cultures with the other-- the concept is the same. Many signs in the world continue to go unheeded, and so--many monsters need to be dealt with. To impeach can be as simple as: in a court of Law - to challenge the credibility of a witness, or as complex as: removing a country’s leaders from office. From a cosmic perspective, since elimination of a person from this worldly realm is most naturally done on an individual basis by the Creator, it becomes anyone’s wise and justifiable choice to hinder and shackle, in some form, those who override the Creator’s natural mechanism of the cosmos. What leads to ‘people’ -- whether two-legged or four, whether winged or gilled, whether crawling or sitting rock still, whether bending as trees or moving as air -- being overridden, oppressed, or abused AND how to overcome those injustices, is a large surface upon which these poems and essays scratch. May they stir you enough to help thwart a monster or two and help bring about a brighter New Dawn * Sheep to Shawl
What kind of world is this
where sheep huddle together,
and mushrooms and asparagus
mingle in the frying pan oiled
with lemon and dill?
To get along with one’s kind is expected.
To blend with others, what’s needed.
To see for one-self, the work.
To become empty:
to let tea into the cup,
sunlight through a window,
oil onto the pan.
Sitting in one place for a long while
is different from doing nothing--
to sit and receive,
then, pour out--
and so become full of nothing, again.
What warmth we have to give
cannot be measured with yards of fabric.
Though pleasing, the heat from our bodies
does not always say the most.
Though generous, the shirt off my back
does not help the man
who is looking for shoes. * The Nobel Peace Prize Goes To. . .
a child in Iraq a sparrow in Detroit
a polar bear a wildflower the one cell
in Rove’s brain that is peaceful
a chunk of ice floating away from the top of the world
the soldiers who have held their gunfire
the soldiers who have left the war
the soldiers who refused to become soldiers
a sparrow in Afghanistan
the Myanmar monks the Australian abos
a Darfur grandmother a Hopi grandfather
a Taoist a true Christian the funniest Jew
you’ve ever heard
the Shakers the Quakers the Pacifists
the half-baked weed smokers
the devotees of Walden Pond
the whirling Dervishes
the drunk in the alley who has only damaged
his own knuckles
against the cold brick wall in the heart of winter
a fool in a field in the middle of anywhere
who is feeding a sparrow with one hand
and waving a white flag with the other
* Jahada : to Strive
the tiny fisted buds of cherry blossoms
begin to show their fingers
how unviolently spring holds its own,
bunched, tight as a knot
only bearing to become itself
this is nature’s jihad --
overcoming anachronism,
understanding the hallucinatory,
finding a way to attain fullness
without so much as harming
a blade of grass * (im)peach haiku sequence
real democracy:
high crimes and misdemeanors
are impeachable
a real peach!
fuzzy, juicy, dripping
down the chin
bioengineered
peaches and presidents
are impeachable
[here are a few of the reasons, peaches aside:]
“(1) criminally invading Iraq, (2) criminal negligence in ignoring warnings of the 9-11 attacks, (3) violating the constitutional rights of citizens, (4) violating the law in disclosing the name of a CIA undercover operative to punish her whistle-blowing husband, (5) violating international law by the illegal invasion of Iraq and by torturing captives, and (6) criminal negligence in failing to protect the lives of Americans’ lives and property. The latter includes cases ranging from the shortages of body armor for U.S. troops in Iraq to the bungling of the Katrina hurricane episode.”
<www.dissidentvoice.org/June06/Leupp22.htm> from a book review of The Case for Impeachment by Dave Lindorff and Barbara Olshansky
“According to the Center for Public Integrity, President Bush and top White House officials made a total of 935 false statements about Iraq’s alleged national security threat in the two years following the 9/11 attacks. The study counts a total 532 times that Bush and other officials stated unequivocally that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, was seeking to obtain them, or had ties to al-Qaeda.”
<www.democracynow.org/2008/1/23/headlines#4>. title essay: The D.C. Court of Appeals has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by four British men who were held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay. The four men had sued former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other top military officers for ordering torture and religious abuse. The judges effectively ruled that the detainees are not persons at all for purposes of U.S. law. The court ruling read in part, “Because the plaintiffs are aliens and were located outside sovereign United States territory at the time their alleged claim arose, they do not fall with [in] the definition of ‘person.’”
< www.democracynow.org/2008/1/14/headlines >
~
A corporation is a legal entity (technically, a juristic person) which has a separate legal personality from its members.
< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation >
~
. . .corporate lawyers (acting as both attorneys and judges) subverted our Bill of Rights in the late 1800’s by establishing the doctrine of “corporate personhood” -- the claim that corporations were intended to fully enjoy the legal status protections created for human beings. . .
Ultimately, the doctrine of granting constitutional rights to corporations gives a thing illegitimate privilege and power that undermines our freedom and authority as citizens.
< http://reclaimdemocracy.org/personhood/ >
~
Mitaku’ Oyasin
in the language of the Lakota people
“We Are All Related”
or
“All My Relations”
~
impeach the monsters: New Dawn
The Monsters
What insanity that a human being could be physically tortured, but by the black magic of legal jargon they are not considered a “person,” WHEREAS a corporation, under law, IS considered a “person.” Something is rotten in the state of Denmark! And hypocritical, cruel and twisted are the laws of man. The Monsters are afoot. . . and in need of being fettered!
One can get angry or depressed about much of what is going on in the world, in these early stages of the 21st
century.
There are, however, world prophecies that can help us to see the overall situation for what it is-- one phase working toward another. These phases have to do with one’s consciousness as well as with what is going on ‘out there.’ Before exploring the prophecies, let’s look at some of what distorts a peaceful and joyous world view.
Myths have their monsters, and so does what we call ‘real life.’ Monsters can be tamed and rehabilitated. Carl Jung called this the ‘shadow phase.’ The Monster, or shadow, can take on varied frightening forms but is essentially a reflection of one’s own power unharnessed. This gets more complicated when looked at on the world stage.
Before leaving the office of presidency, Dwight D. Eisenhower gave the people a gift; he warned us of the “military-industrial complex.”
Perhaps because of his prominent position he also underestimated the nature of The Monster, which is much larger. This ‘complex’ or ‘system’ is a vast network with fangs that has a fierce hold on a lot of people via the propaganda and diversions of-- big corporations, lobbyists, the educational system, advertising, film making, book publishing, magazines, music industry, TV shows, radio, corporate media, sports, banking, insurance, stock market, FDA, EPA, prisons, judicial, government, religion, the breeder society which encourages overpopulation. . . (sigh).
Military-Industrial sums up the Monster System while various sub-sectors serve as the public relations firm (though more so infirm).
This ‘system’ is global, and partly feeds off of tensions created by the man-made demarcations called “nations.” Oddly though-- some nations and corporations (and often a blending of the two) have an addictive habit of doing business amongst themselves, as if the very policies they decreed did not matter.
As stated in the documentary film The Corporation:
“It should not surprise us that corporate allegiance to profit will trump their allegiance to any flag. A recent U.S. Treasury Department report revealed in one week alone, 57 U.S. corporations were fined for trading with official enemies of the United States, including terrorists, tyrants and despotic regimes.”
Transnational corporations may actually have more sway than governments!
And did you know?. . . Time Warner, Disney, Murdoch’s News Corporation, Bertelsmann of Germany, Viacom/CBS Corporation, and General Electric’s NBC are some of the biggest power players, according to corporations.org/media.
Although there are hundreds of magazines there may only be a few publishers. A baseball team, fast-food restaurant, cartoon character, news headline, and blockbuster movie featuring all of the above might be owned by the same “juristic person!” Yet, a human being who gets tortured outside the US, is not, by definition, considered a person. How absurd!!
Although in some instances destroying a Monster is what’s needed to protect the people, taming or rehabilitating said Monster can offer many positive effects. For example, as much as people criticize the quality of fast-food (and the treatment of those who help produce it), these corporations have the systemic capacity to efficiently feed a lot of people. And, some prisoners have been known to ‘turn their life around,’ and that is one reason for being against the death penalty. Thus, ‘fettering’ a Monster could ultimately be beneficial, whereas eliminating it removes that possibility.
Militarily, the US has over 700 military bases throughout the world. That’s a bit more disturbing than Frankenstein’s Monster (a violin quieted him down). What if these bases became havens for the arts, concerts, or gardens, etc.?!
As well, a culture that encourages brotherly friendship, camaraderie and love, including homosexuality, would be far more peaceful than the gun-slinging, competition-based melodrama that has already wreaked much havoc and destroyed many a young man in his late-teens or early-twenties.
Hitler’s hatred of gays and gypsies, as well as Jews and others, fed the Third Reich Monster; a historical lesson to learn from. And a reminder of the dangers of what Lawrence Ferlinghetti calls the “corporate monoculture.”
In a Monster nutshell, Greed and Fear (subsidiaries of the Ego in action) are the two main components of what some people call ‘evil in the world.’ The Greed part is obvious. The Fear part is primarily a combination of fear used as a method of subtle coercion, and the fear(s) or monster(s) that each individual must face and overcome on his/her own.
For many people, day-to-day realities are complex and harsh. Bloated war budgets -- partly used to build excessive destructive weapons -- deplete the coffers that could be used to wisely assist veterans, rebuild aging infrastructure, help poorer people keep warm in the winter and better fed year round, protect and preserve the environment and its inhabitants, provide health care, education, etc.
While I was putting this book together, Lakota Sioux Indians formed the Lakotah Republic and withdrew from all previously signed treaties with the US. Reasons? Too many broken treaties, and dismal statistics concerning poverty, disease, housing, employment, incarceration, etc.
( www.republicoflakotah.com )
In Iraq: “An army unit committed mutiny and refused to carry out orders... Several platoon members were afraid their anger could set loose a massacre.”
( www.democracynow.org/2007/12/21/us_soldiers_stage_mutiny_refuse_orders )
Ecuador’s indigenous and farmers are making progress battling abuses by Chevron/Texaco Oil.
( www.texacotoxico.org - www.chevrontoxico.com )
There are many more such examples.
The Monsters are being challenged.
(r)evolutionary: Upheaval and Purification
In his 1975 Pulitzer Prize book Turtle Island: with “Four Changes,” Gary Snyder highlights population, pollution, consumption, and transformation as key areas to attend to. Not enough people, however, seem to have heeded his advice for we are currently facing these issues even more.
Some have long seen the monstrums and have a way to explain what’s happening.
The Navaho as well as the Hopi Traditionalists say that we are in the process of entering, or have already entered, The Fifth World (of consciousness) and that the path from Fourth to Fifth requires much purification. Other American Indian names for Fifth World are “Many Colored Earth” and “Changeable Earth.” The Toltec mention a Fifth World, and the Aztec a Fifth Sun along with their solar deity Tonatiuh, “he who goes forth shining.” The Fifth World is like a spiritual equal-opportunity employer, as well as a model for higher consciousness, and the more of us who go forth shining, the better we can work together.
Some natives call this age we are living in “the great sweat.”
The Mayan calendar says the world will end, and begin
anew on December 21, 2012.
According to the Hindu calendar (with its mind-boggling lengths of ages, called “yugas”) we are in the midst of a Kali Yuga (dark age), an age of devastation and purification. The “Kali” of Kali Yuga means “strife, discord, quarrel, or contention,” according to wikipedia.
“. . .there will be numerous rulers vying with each other. They will have no character. Violence, falsehood and wickedness will be the order of the day. Piety and good nature will dwindle slowly... Passion and lust will be the only attraction between the sexes. Women will be the objects of sensual pleasure. Dishonest will be the bottom line of subsistence. Learned people will be ridiculed and put to shame; the word of the wealthy person will be the only law.”
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuga )
How is it that an ancient Hindu text, the Vishnu Purana, so aptly describes much of the turmoil that the modern world faces?!
Part of the prophecy of Kali Yuga is that the appearance of a ‘being’ on a white horse will end the discord. Luckily, this is to be followed by a Satya Yuga, a golden age of truth, light, equality, and blessedness.
Wise Beings and Animal Friends
For the Lakota, Crow, Chippewa and other American
Indian peoples, “the White Buffalo is one of the most sacred symbols. It represents purity, sacrifice and a sign that prophecy is being fulfilled.” The recent births of white buffalo calves are auspicious and “a sign to ‘mend the hoop’ of the nations, to establish brotherhood within the family of man, and return to a spiritual way of life.”
( http://www.ausbcomp.com/redman/clamor8.htm#ancient_prophecies )
The birth of a red heifer signals “end-times” to some Christians and the imminent return of the messiah to some Jews.
Jesus (as the story goes) rode a donkey through town on route to become Christ.
It was on a white horse (as another story goes) that Prince Siddhartha rode out of the palace and so began his spiritual quest to become the Buddha. And a white elephant was associated with his birth.
Lao-Tzu (as the story goes) after penning the Tao Te Ching (Thou Dei Jinn) rode off into retirement on a water buffalo.
Another story: Zen and the ten ox-herding (or wild bull) pictures represent a path to peaceful co-existence, as well as the taming of one’s mind and the animal passions. . . on the way to enlightenment.
Whether literally or symbolically, these stories reveal a pattern!
Transcendencies
Will there always be people awaiting the Second Coming of Christ, or Elijah’s arrival at the Passover table?
These must logically be seen as temporary stories, training wheels for true independence-- otherwise one is doomed to repeat the ritual endlessly.
Gautama Buddha’s predicted ‘Buddha of the future,’ named Maitreya (“Friendly Lord”), is available here-and-now to anyone who can cultivate the Buddha-nature within and respect the paths of others. This is akin to what is called Christ-Consciousness.
The New Age movement is based on age-old wisdoms that are blending with fast-paced technologies to create new lifestyles and activities.
What ‘signs’ have YOU seen?. . . in dreams, visions, the world ‘out there.’ What have you felt in your gut, heart? What have you experienced? What have you heard? Do you trust your intuition, and what do you know for certain?
True Purpose
However you look at it, we are being shown that the pathway to an age of light, a golden age, one of truth, virtue, and real knowledge requires change and purification. While it is certainly an ‘awe-some’ time, some choose to use frightening labels such as apocalypse, armageddon, rapture, and so on. It can be frightening, but the more we learn, share, communicate, and stay calm, the more we diminish the turmoil, and create tranquility. As Gandhi said: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
Some people work for change within the complex-system, some confront The Monsters directly, some seek to overthrow the system, some ignore The Monsters (as much as possible). Some build a new world. Some live with heaven on earth, without losing sight of the heavens above. Some do all of the above. Some are monastic, some are activists, some a bit of both.
There is no one correct answer, except finding and living fully one’s true purpose in life, one’s reason for incarnating on this planet during this time period. This can take a lifetime (or more) of discovery and rediscovery.
Pep Talk
In some form, small or large, impeach any monster that attempts to tie you down, shackle you, deceive you into thinking some institution or false idea or mass-hysteria knows better than you what is good for you.
Do it nonviolently and without hatred.
Do it with diligence, with discipline, commitment, devotion, spontaneity. Do it with passion. With silence. . .
with words. . .
Some systems work well, and some monsters can be rehabilitated.
While one can learn much from a teacher, guru or mentor: it is wise to remember that what haiku Master Bashô wrote about poetry, also applies to finding and living fully as one’s true self: “Do not follow in the footsteps of the old poets, seek what they sought.”
Respect elders and those individuals or groups who have succeeded at seemingly strange endeavors. There are numerous spiritual and mystical paths, as well.
Awaken and Remember who you are. . . have been. . .
will be. . .
Talk. Contemplate. Meditate. Find your-self. And others.
We are One.
Beyond We, ONE.
Simply BE.
~
*
to order books Copyright © 2008 by Walter E. Harris III. |
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