Poetry Place Collected Poems

red, white and blue and purple -political colors

Blue, Red, and Purple states

Reading my Facebook, Twitter, and Quora feed
I encounter extremist rhetoric everywhere.
As we divided into red and blue states,

America has flipped the traditional political colors.
In most of the world red means leftist politics
Blue means right-wing politics
Green means green environmentalism.

But in the USA,
Red means conservative, rural, or republican
Blue means democratic, progressive, left-of-center, urban
Green still means green

But the reality is most people
Live in purple states,
A blend of red rural hinterlands
With blue urban centers
And college towns.

and most people
are not that political
just want to get along

and want political leaders
to stop these vile political games.
And solve the nation's problems.
.
But the political game is rigged
the blue areas underrepresented
the red areas overrepresented
green voters marginalized.

and sadly, political leader
play to their tribal colors
the media hyping it up,

The left calling their opponents
Evil fascist neo-Nazi, white supremacist authoritarians
Out to destroy American democracy.

The right calling their opponents
Radical left-wing communist anti-white racists, Marxist “woke” mobs
Out to destroy traditional God-fearing Christian Patriots.

Both sides screaming about fake news
And wild conspiracies committed
By their demonized opponents.

Dark, dangerous violent
Talk about a great divorce,
Between blue states and red states.
Among the left and the right
CIVIL war 2.0.

Will it come to that
Or will sanity prevail?
Will we remember
Our true colors
Are red, white, and blue

And we all live
In the purple
United States of America.

Creativity shows itself in many forms--from writing, painting, and singing to gardening, woodworking, and computer programming. In all these ways and many more, people find unique ways to express themselves. They transform visions created in their minds into creative art. The urge to imagine and invent affects all of us. Indulging that impulse is an instinct that turns labor into pleasure. As writers, we convert those images into words on the page.

Another affliction we all suffer from is doubt. While we may readily doodle the craziest thoughts on scraps of paper spurred on by our free-wheeling imaginations in the privacy of our inner sanctums, we dread exposing those musings to the outside world. Uncertainty about our abilities, fear of failure, doubts about the value of our words, and many other demons plague us and bind our free expression. We are here to cast those demons aside and celebrate your innate creativity.

Creativity thrives on experimentation and exploration. It lives on the discovery, and readers read to discover. As creative writers, we must let our imaginations lead us through their mysterious wanderings to that point of unveiling, like a special gift being examined, shaken to see if it rattles, and finally unwrapped. We must develop a sense of wonder and curiosity that can be attained only through practice. Practice does not always mean tedious work; in this case, it’s more like play. In my reviewing, I frequently use the term “tinker,” because working with the arrangement of words reminds me of the Tinker Toys I played with as a child. If you don’t have a similar attraction, perhaps it’s time for you to pick up a paintbrush or musical instrument--something you truly enjoy playing with.

Creative writers are constantly asking two questions: “What if?” and “What then?” Then they let their imaginations guide them on an adventurous journey into the unknown. They are ready for surprises and embrace whatever emerges. While they try to maintain emotional honesty about their subjects, they freely skew the facts. If readers want facts, they can read a newspaper.

Practice Exercise: Now it’s time to light the fuse and let your imagination explode into a cataclysm of color. Write about some color that impresses you, either favorably or unfavorably. Since this is a creativity workshop, give your imagination free rein to interpret “color” either literally (red, blue, hot pink) or figuratively (the color of pain, joy, anger). Whatever strikes your spark.

Post your piece in the discussion forum. Then relax and join in the celebration of colorful fireworks around the room. (Hopefully, we won’t burn the place down. )

Let creativity flow from your soul!
Will it come to that
Or will we remember
Our true colors
Are red, white, and blue

And we all live
In the purple
United States of America.

Creativity shows itself in many forms--from writing, painting, and singing to gardening, woodworking, and computer programming. In all these ways and many more, people find unique ways to express themselves. They transform visions created in their minds into creative art. The urge to imagine and invent affects all of us. Indulging that impulse is an instinct that turns labor into pleasure. As writers, we convert those images into words on the page.

Another affliction we all suffer from is doubt. While we may readily doodle the craziest thoughts on scraps of paper spurred on by our free-wheeling imaginations in the privacy of our inner sanctums, we dread exposing those musings to the outside world. Uncertainty about our abilities, fear of failure, doubts about the value of our words, and many other demons plague us and bind our free expression. We are here to cast those demons aside and celebrate your innate creativity.

Creativity thrives on experimentation and exploration. It lives on the discovery, and readers read to discover. As creative writers, we must let our imaginations lead us through their mysterious wanderings to that point of unveiling, like a special gift being examined, shaken to see if it rattles, and finally unwrapped. We must develop a sense of wonder and curiosity that can be attained only through practice. Practice does not always mean tedious work; in this case, it’s more like play. In my reviewing, I frequently use the term “tinker,” because working with the arrangement of words reminds me of the Tinker Toys I played with as a child. If you don’t have a similar attraction, perhaps it’s time for you to pick up a paintbrush or musical instrument--something you truly enjoy playing with.

Creative writers are constantly asking two questions: “What if?” and “What then?” Then they let their imaginations guide them on an adventurous journey into the unknown. They are ready for surprises and embrace whatever emerges. While they try to maintain emotional honesty about their subjects, they freely skew the facts. If readers want facts, they can read a newspaper.

Practice Exercise: Now it’s time to light the fuse and let your imagination explode into a cataclysm of color. Write about some color that impresses you, either favorably or unfavorably. Since this is a creativity workshop, give your imagination free rein to interpret “color” either literally (red, blue, hot pink) or figuratively (the color of pain, joy, anger). Whatever strikes your spark.

Post your piece in the discussion forum. Then relax and join in the celebration of colorful fireworks around the room. (Hopefully, we won’t burn the place down. )

Let creativity flow from your soul!
Dave
"The Poet's Place "  
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