Ricochet is the best place on the internet to discuss the issues of the day, either through commenting on posts or writing your own for our active and dynamic community in a fully moderated environment. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day.
Stand Up for Something
Stipulated, I am no poet. Nevertheless, herein I offer a bit of what I understand to be free verse. It seemed to fit the thoughts and feelings of the moment. Doggerel it may be, but the contents, the realities behind the words, have been dogging my thoughts for some time.
Stand up!
Stand up for the children
gunned down on our streets.
Stand up for Natalia Wallace,
who was 7.
Stand up for Mekhi James,
who was 3.
Stand up for Vernado Jones Jr.,
who was 14.
Stand up for Sincere Gaston,
who was 1.
Stand up for Lena Nunez,
who was 10.
Stand up for Amaria Jones,
who was 13.
Stand up for Davon McNeal,
who was 11.
Stand up for Secoriea Turner,
who was 8.
Stand up for the grieving families,
for the lost children,
murdered by depraved thugs.
Stand up!
Stand up for children,
deprived of education,
American birthrights.
Stand up for parents,
let them send their children to good schools,
no matter where they live.
Stand up for America’s future,
our children.
Stand up!
Stand up for our elderly,
terrorized by gangs.
Stand up for mothers and grandmas,
praying every time their child and grandchild walks out the door.
Stand up for those too often ignored,
too long taken for granted by those elected to serve them.
Stand up!
Published in Group Writing
Roll your own or share a bit of verse you like or dislike as part of our July Group Writing theme: “The Doggerel Days of Summer.”
Interested in Group Writing topics that came before? See the handy compendium of monthly themes. Check out links in the Group Writing Group. You can also join the group to get a notification when a new monthly theme is posted.
I’d say you are.
I did a quick check of “free verse” and did a bit of rearranging to get a bit of cadence in the lines.
Sadly, it could become epic verse if I started going back past the Independence Day weekend to recite each child’s name for the year to date.
To quote that great literary thinker Pogo, blanker verse was never blunk.
I can’t resist. You’re a poet and you didn’t even know it.
No more rhymes now, I mean it . . .
But his feet show it.
They’re Longfellows!
hahahahahahah oh I crack myself up Okay I’ll just show myself out
[Failed attempt to embed door opening gif.]
More such marches and lots of presidential tweets and statements supporting these marches: “No justice, no sleep.”