Did You Buy Any Roses Today?

 

Did You Buy Any Roses Today?

A Valentine Poem for planet Earth, choose love or Armageddon77

Just before war was declared on Iraq and the following day we were to have march at Uptown in Minneapolis, MN.

By Teak Kilmer

February 14, 2003

 

Did you buy any roses today, odorless, soul-less,

 chemical roses, hybridized, ‘pesticided’

fertilized roses dipped in preservative

for the long trip to your home, roses

that are killing and illing Ecuadorians

roses produced for just 17 cents that you buy

for dollars … three to 18 for profits egregious

 for world corporations while humans

environment and decency are pummeled?         

Did you buy any roses today?

 

Did you say it with flowers or will you say it with scruples?

Will the protest tomorrow be where your love is given?

2 PM around Uptown; we’ll be raging, bemoaning

corruption and evil, corruption and evil in the name

 of some god some religion, some justified hatred while

uninformed, misinformed raise flags and missiles

 

But six huge corporations own percent 96

of our broadcasting media

Public broadcasting is selling out to their sponsors

 joining the rest of the far right and far wrong propaganda

 no news to be had but on KFAI

These conservative news media calling the media “liberal”

claiming to protect us from devils they the false profits

 of whom Jesus warned us; by their\fruits we do know them

 

Jesus has told us in Matthew and Luke “I say unto you

 let those that can hear, hear and those that can see, see …

and love your enemies, turn the other cheek

do good to those who hate you

 

“bless those who curse you

pray for those who abuse you

for if you love those who love you

what reward have you? If you salute

but your brethren, what more are you

doing than others?”

Feed your enemies clothe them

give them shelter and they

will no longer be your enemies

… no terrorists to recruit

 

Hey, George, George W., George W. Bush

George Warmonger Bush, George World-government Bush

George Wasteland Bush, George War-for oil Bush

who stole the election in Florida

 who stacks the courts with phony religious, racist bigots

 deprives the poor of education and hope

 imprisons and executes them without fair trials

 destroys our beautiful planet, and has

over one thousand political prisoners

who have not been charged and never have to be

and can be kept in prison until they die

 you who have gutted the Freedom of Information Act

so we cannot get information about them to help them

you who created the fascist Patriot Act

 

Your crowd is the axis of evil

 You bought roses today! You knew, George, George W

George Warned Bush, you knew that 9/11 was going to happen

the FBI knew, five other countries’ intelligence agencies knew

and told you and you buried the facts. YOU had no reaction

when you were told of the Trade Center’s destruction

you were matter of fact, unsuprised

 

Strange isn’t it that you were not even in Washington

reading to children in Florida.  Wait a minute; you don’t read!

That should have clue enough

“This is what Bush and the elite white boys want”

 I told my mother in law – excuses for war and stealing oil

 taking our rights and the world’s Democracy

our voices they’re stealing

For the LOVE of all that is decent

we must find a way

… did you buy any roses today?

I wrote this piece and two poems on February 13^th and read them at Kieran’s Irish Pub and got cheering, standing ovations for all three on the next day, appropriately –Valentine’s Day