Poetry: Selections from Dee Allen.

Counterfeit Rebel

Chickens will start

Clucking out loud

When a rat comes

Sneaking into

The hen-house.

 

Such a rodent

Crawled its way

Into swollen ranks of the

Black Lives Matter

Movement in Colorado Springs

 

Wearing a masque—

Bright-eyed enthusiasm

For “fighting the good fight”.

She would be found

At a street march

 

So easily, compared to the rest.

Known for the tightness

Of her halter top

And bubblegum

Pink hair.

 

Busy lady soldier with big

Energy for a righteous cause.

Is this the profile for a vile rodent?

A few occasions at her spot

Changed the tone to this tale.

 

Plans were set.

Create the crime.

Run illegal guns through the movement.

Two activists were lured in.

Both refused the bait.

 

Zeal for racial justice—False.

Her identity—False.

Her sex work—False.

Her long pink hair—False.

 

Intent to sabotage—Real.

Her entrapment—Real.

Her hidden police rank—Real.

Her F.B.I. handlers—Real.

 

 

Poison to the movement—

Real.

Chilling effect—

Frighteningly real.

 

Chickens will start

Clucking out loud

When a rat comes

Sneaking into

The hen-house

 

Moving in daylight,

Looking not

For eggs,

But for

Arrests.

Things Fall Apart

Things fall apart

In times of war,

In loss of regularly

Scheduled lives and more.

Comfortable homes,

Farms and markets

Singled out by unexpected

Missiles—convenient targets.

These times of war

Only tyrants crave

Flattened cities, submission,

Every person, their slave.

But the Ukrainian survivors

Will rise above the gloom

To arrive at a brighter future

Where flowers still bloom.

 

[ For Stephanie Larkin. ]

Earth Hour

MARCH 26, 2022 – 8:30pm to 9:30pm PT

 

On this Saturday evening,

I take a break

From electricity.

 

Decisive move,

Hand to wall switch.

Lights off. Candles on.

 

Lit match to a few candle wicks.

Shadows on walls and ceiling shimmy,

Dance to flame's spontaneous rhythm.

 

Dimly lit

Comfort zone, filled with

Comfort food on a plate, all plant-based.

 

Black bean burgers on sourdough with

Spicy brown mustard, pickles,

Chips on the side, sea salt-seasoned,

 

Pineapple juice, ice-cold, in

A glass mug to wash down my

Cruelty-free repast. Purple grapes—saved for later.

 

My eyes took on a feast of their own:

Documentary on YouTube

On Chernobyl—Nuclear disaster area

 

Or ecological miracle?

Village rewilds despite slow decay.

Menagerie of animals roam free—Humans long gone.

 

Ten minutes left.

Like last time,

Meditate. Brown eyes shut. Bald Black head lowered.

 

Draw deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out.

Thoughts set on her,

Our endangered Earth—

 

Flash floods on the Gulf Coast,

Typhoons in the Philippines,

American Southwest dry to the extreme,

 

The Amazon and California burn in the Summer—

Thoughts set on everything

We could lose—

 

On this Saturday evening,

I take a break

From electricity.

 

Transient time to reflect on my only home.

Redemption from neglect, though, will take more than 60 minutes.

Lights off. Candles on.

Dee Allen. is an African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California. Active on creative writing & Spoken Word since the early 1990s. Author of 7 books--Boneyard, Unwritten Law, Stormwater, Skeletal Black [ all from POOR Press ], Elohi Unitsi [ Conviction 2 Change Publishing ], Rusty Gallows [ Vagabond Books ] and Plans [ Nomadic Press ]--and 69 anthology appearances under his figurative belt so far.