Tuesday, October 23, 2018

catching a glimpse of evil: dedicated to the homeless of Oakland


This poem was read by my longtime friend,  Casey, at a protest today against the way Oakland is treating her and its other 9,000+ homeless. (Yes, 9,000 is the bottom approximate estimate, not 2,000, based on the city's own research back in 2015).

She requested a poem, and described the topic at length; I happened to have, by slightly unnerving coincidence, a nearly perfect fit.  In revising, I removed the former subtitle ("In which the triumph of Good is assumed") – given the recent United Nations report, which listed the City of Oakland, California as next to last anywhere on Earth for its deplorable treatment of the homeless, I thought that was inappropriate.

my poem was read at this #oakmtg – but not by me.
Thank you Case.  I hope it helped.


catching a glimpse of Evil, a warning                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
by johanna faust

i could be you just as easily – you 
could be me just as well –
we could be through with this misery
we could have done with this hell

each one of us already knows how
and, even though some of us don't understand --
the pretended ignorance shows, 
now -- we can see all such traitors are damned

if ever you get like me beat down & frightened 
overwhelmed,  overcome by the fear 
that maybe the world can’t be made right 
in enough time — to avert what is near

and then -- as if on cue -- to save you from despondence
at long last -- no, not even a bell
remember please our correspondence
so that this won’t be a so you’d expect me to tell

springing eternal, confused we confide
in sight seen nearly more likely than far 
more into it talking of taking a side 
than they can tell "ser" apart from "estar"

because those who refuse to be saved 
have been Evil -- well, all along --
take a proud satisfaction depraved
in choosing senselessly yet to do -- wrong....

a new revision for casey to change the world a little  — october 22 2018

Be seeing you.