falling stars

amerika is a
falling star
& we have become
a nation of the
self-possessed.

we have done &
we are doing &
approving massive harm
in this world.

we ‘re no longer
up to choosing
between liberty &
death.

too narcissistic
to concern ourselves
with any body
else.

is it really
so important
to buy a new pair
of shoes?
or an ipod?

we live in an
isolation ward of
denial & our economy
has normalized
angst.

33 humans murdered
in Virginia.

a national tragedy, yes.

the response is
obsessive voyeurism.

on the same day,
171 or more humans
were massacred in
Baghdad––
a lost detail in bloodless
print,

or a cloud of chaos
floating across a
high def screen.

are we not responsible
for this?

did we not borrow
the money & squander
the good will to pay
for this unholy
occupation?

did we not elect &
do we not sustain
our president &
chief representative of
ourselves

who lied and manipulated
to launch a vast &
unnecessary war?

of course, we find him
unaccountable, because
honesty is no longer
even a figment of an
amerikan dream.

our friendly fire
annihilated a wedding
party & a village in
afghanistan & none
of us blinked.

it is long past time
for America to fall on
her knees & pray to
God, to the world,
to the living & the
dead

for peace for all
& for forgiveness.

how can we pay
for what we have
done?

what can we do
to make the world
whole?

if we can’t love humanity,
nothing makes
sense.