BJZ Poems and Musings

The poem this in this post might be considered political, although I don’t consider myself a highly political person. I might be classified as a progressive, moderate, conservative liberal. It depends on the issue at hand. One thing that should supersede politics is human character – empathy, compassion, integrity, honesty, courage. The subject of my poem has a long history of not demonstrating these character traits. For those who support this person and his behaviors I would ask a simple question. Are the traits, behaviors, and actions he demonstrates toward others something that you would teach to your children or grandchildren? Is this something they should emulate? It’s one thing to have strong allegiance to a party, or fervent opinions on policies and how government should function. It’s another to condone, tolerate, or ignore behaviors that diminish our humanity and community. The poem, originally composed in 2020 and revised slightly since, was a way of expressing my frustration, since the ballot box didn’t lead to much satisfaction.

The Last Urinal on the Right

in my religion, as in others,
those who die do come back,
but not only as human, dog, or dove;
there might be other matters –
a rock, a waterfall,
maybe even a urinal

and if there is justice in all this,
in a few years, when nature calls
I will walk briskly to the 6th floor men’s room
and survey the three urinals,
thinking – where would he be hiding?
yes, the last one on the right,
his faux yellow hair and orange skin
stained into the white porcelain;
I will hum “Donald, Donald, Donald”
as I spray the entire thing down
and spit in it for good measure,
and flush

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