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(Photo: Kevin/cc/flickr)
Poetry to the Rescue of America's Soul
"I'm junk but I'm still holding up this little wild bouquet: Democracy is coming to the U.S.A."
May 28, 2017
As President Donald Trump's (is this true or is it only a passingvnightmare?) wrecking machine continues its steady work of destroying
everything that is dear to Americans, two poets, Roque Dalton (1935-1975), a Salvadoran poet and Langston Hughes (1902-1967), a poet of the dispossessed, seem to have presaged Trump presidency's characteristics and effects.
In his poem "Variations on a Phrase by Christ" Roque Dalton says,
"Give unto God that which is God's
and to the government of the rich
that which belongs to the government of the rich.
But,
what more can we give the government of the rich
if with the help of its government the rich have already
finished
ripping us off for everything?"
There doesn't seem to be any escape from evil, any way in which common citizens can defend their hard-earned rights and liberties from Trump and his minions' "carnage" (one of Trump's favorite words). In his poem "Memory and Questions" Dalton says,
"Oh night of fake lights,
glitter made of obscurity:
where should I run
other than to my own soul,
the soul that wanted to be a flag returning
and which they want to transform into a despicable rug
in this temple of merchants?"
(translation by Jack Hirschman)
But if not for ourselves, at least for our children, we should unite to respond to these attacks on our lives, liberties and the environment. In his poem "Let America be America Again" Langston Hughes says,
"Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!
It is indeed possible that after this period of turmoil we may reach that beautiful stage when democracy and justice will come back to
America. As Leonard Cohen says in his song "Democracy",
I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Cesar Chelala
Dr. Cesar Chelala is an international public health consultant, co-winner of an Overseas Press Club of America award and two national journalism awards from Argentina.
As President Donald Trump's (is this true or is it only a passingvnightmare?) wrecking machine continues its steady work of destroying
everything that is dear to Americans, two poets, Roque Dalton (1935-1975), a Salvadoran poet and Langston Hughes (1902-1967), a poet of the dispossessed, seem to have presaged Trump presidency's characteristics and effects.
In his poem "Variations on a Phrase by Christ" Roque Dalton says,
"Give unto God that which is God's
and to the government of the rich
that which belongs to the government of the rich.
But,
what more can we give the government of the rich
if with the help of its government the rich have already
finished
ripping us off for everything?"
There doesn't seem to be any escape from evil, any way in which common citizens can defend their hard-earned rights and liberties from Trump and his minions' "carnage" (one of Trump's favorite words). In his poem "Memory and Questions" Dalton says,
"Oh night of fake lights,
glitter made of obscurity:
where should I run
other than to my own soul,
the soul that wanted to be a flag returning
and which they want to transform into a despicable rug
in this temple of merchants?"
(translation by Jack Hirschman)
But if not for ourselves, at least for our children, we should unite to respond to these attacks on our lives, liberties and the environment. In his poem "Let America be America Again" Langston Hughes says,
"Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!
It is indeed possible that after this period of turmoil we may reach that beautiful stage when democracy and justice will come back to
America. As Leonard Cohen says in his song "Democracy",
I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
Cesar Chelala
Dr. Cesar Chelala is an international public health consultant, co-winner of an Overseas Press Club of America award and two national journalism awards from Argentina.
As President Donald Trump's (is this true or is it only a passingvnightmare?) wrecking machine continues its steady work of destroying
everything that is dear to Americans, two poets, Roque Dalton (1935-1975), a Salvadoran poet and Langston Hughes (1902-1967), a poet of the dispossessed, seem to have presaged Trump presidency's characteristics and effects.
In his poem "Variations on a Phrase by Christ" Roque Dalton says,
"Give unto God that which is God's
and to the government of the rich
that which belongs to the government of the rich.
But,
what more can we give the government of the rich
if with the help of its government the rich have already
finished
ripping us off for everything?"
There doesn't seem to be any escape from evil, any way in which common citizens can defend their hard-earned rights and liberties from Trump and his minions' "carnage" (one of Trump's favorite words). In his poem "Memory and Questions" Dalton says,
"Oh night of fake lights,
glitter made of obscurity:
where should I run
other than to my own soul,
the soul that wanted to be a flag returning
and which they want to transform into a despicable rug
in this temple of merchants?"
(translation by Jack Hirschman)
But if not for ourselves, at least for our children, we should unite to respond to these attacks on our lives, liberties and the environment. In his poem "Let America be America Again" Langston Hughes says,
"Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,
The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,
We, the people, must redeem
The land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.
The mountains and the endless plain--
All, all the stretch of these great green states--
And make America again!
It is indeed possible that after this period of turmoil we may reach that beautiful stage when democracy and justice will come back to
America. As Leonard Cohen says in his song "Democracy",
I'm sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can't stand the scene.
And I'm neither left or right
I'm just staying home tonight,
getting lost in that hopeless little screen.
But I'm stubborn as those garbage bags
that Time cannot decay,
I'm junk but I'm still holding up
this little wild bouquet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
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