DEATH on FIFTH AVENUE

 

         Chanting joyfully

          and fearlessly too

          Her face uncovered

          rallying for him

          And all he would do

 

          A great America

was their ultimate goal

No mask for him or her

Stand up as patriots

being so brave and bold

 

The enthusiasm she felt

burned so painfully away

when deadly covid gripped her

A contagious viral predator

insatiably seeking prey

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AFTERWORLD, a poem

I ask what lies ahead:

a blank, a heaven/hell

return to the godhead

or reunion with those

I cherished in this world

          Will I find myself

          rejoining the love

of my current life

          or greeting partners

          from previous lives

          The idyllic outcome

          arriving over there

would be to join Ginger

before a dancing fire,

sipping Irish Whiskey  

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CHOOSING, a poem

          Life’s eternal puzzle

           Lies before every youth

In the future’s thicket

            What to do, where to go

            The burden of decision

            Rests on the individual

            Limited by circumstance

            Of class and education

            Will your time be well spent

            on a worthwhile pursuit

            of achievement in art,

            politics, or service

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MESMERIZED, a poem

 

         She looked across the room

          snaring me in a silky

web of lasting desire,

a mesmerizing bond

catching me forever

 

Our cocoon of love

pressed us together

in a world of pleasure

where her sweet smile

mirrored our happiness

 

Our charmed journey

continues despite death,

a spiritual connection

forged by her last words:

“I love you”

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THE BIRD BATH, a poem

The water is a joy

To splash and thrash

Sprinkling the patio

The Robin Red Breast

Bathes in pleasure

Refilling the bowl

Atop the pedestal

Depends on the whim

Or daily habits

Of the voyeur

Like the king of old

Spying on Bathsheba

The voyeur relishes

The beauty of the Robin

Innocently enjoying life

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CRISIS POINT, a poem

         We took separate paths,

          trekking an arid land

          in sight of one another,

          otherwise unconnected

          Our expressions blank.

our tongues parched,

          pressing on without joy

          toward our crisis point

         

          At the crossroad, I asked,

Continue alone or together

She smiled, eyes sparkling,

holding hands, we walked

           into a verdant future

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HERMAN BENSON, UNION DEMOCRACY HERO

Herman Benson spent most of his long life on an endless quest: to make unions better through democracy. He died last week at age 104 still working to fulfill that noble goal.

          Five decades ago, Benson founded the Association for Union Democracy, a small but potent organization that has played a huge role in helping and inspiring reformers in the unending struggle to oust passive or crooked union officials.

          Benson’s crowning achievement came in 1991 when along with labor lawyer Susan Jennik, then AUD’s executive director, convinced a judge to direct a court-appointed elections officer to oversee every aspect of the first rank and file election for the top officers of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

Reformers were convinced that without outside supervision the union hierarchy and their local union allies would have rigged the election to keep the old guard in power. Instead, a clearly-honest election resulted in the late Ron Carey becoming international president of the IBT.

Local unions should be building blocks of democracy with Herman Benson remembered as the visionary of that ideal.