Brick,ing morphed

If All the World’s a Cage, … ?

Episode 1: Opus of our ages

Chum was a baritone.

In a cacophony of siblings he tuned out.

Dressed in manly muscle, disposed to callouses, 

he sang havenward, a barista on the edge of other, 

in the hungry spirit of the nation – in a world at war.

Chum-me, food-ration stamps once in-hand on a butter errand

Blinks life out of focus, stoned by the smell of coffee.

The unquestionable truth slips into dark-sided possible.

Catapulted, not coerced, holding still to unifying News.

Radio, rations and service. Filling life preserves with milkweed kapok

Together – a future in business – an only son.

Episode 2: Colors of the Cages

Papy did not hug.

Hand-speaking and baked in the mold: high demand, no mistakes,

he colored between the blood-lines,

kept his stories closely guarded, read the paper

watched the nightly news. His world with color bars 

on TV and discomfort about a women’s movement

gathered some light, corrugated placards readied for ‘half-baked’,

(his words) resistance, well-worn Crayolas, unboxed

and a brick. His war was also a “conflict”.

Overalls, backpack, 10-speed road ready bike and brick.

Author,ing lines of resistance - to author – ity.

An eldest daughter – goes off to college prepared for brick,ing.

Episode 3:  Aromatic Inner sages

Has every one smelled the coffee?

A rear-view mirror on history beset us with melancholy and foreboding

We have the days of our fathers, the years of our distance and now – 

Memory resides in lines. We return again and again. We keep them safely guarded.

Our lenses scratched. Vision muted with walls of images, words and

Adult Coloring Books with fanciful color within the lines whimsy. Brick’ing is legendary. 

The war – is on Truth 

~~~

The prompt was to write a poem with a partner for the title drawn randomly. We drew  All the World a Cage. My partner and I both said we were feeling oppressed by the challenges truth appeared to be having especially in the now varied and constant media and this phrase immediately brought that top of mind.  Before gathering I had started a poem somewhat on the topic of resistance - searching my own history with advocacy for justice. It was very incomplete. My notes follow with the exception of the inserted "title".

Brick,ing

I pledge to resist, author

ing lines of movements

resistance to form

to voice, author-ity,

Father did not hug, Baked in the mold

high demand, no mistakes

hand speaking, Papy preferring to color be

-tween the blood lines.

Crayolas, unboxed

corrugate readied for

'half baked' (his words)

resistance, a brick.

overalls, backpack, bike and brick --

for college, for now, for how?

All the worlds a cage

damaged beyond repair

utterly un-savable.