Earth Day Poems

A Stick Has Been Inducted into The Museum of Toys!

A boy flung out his arm

I could see his aggression disappear 

Chemical

It melted away as his arm returned to his side

He just needed to move.

So fluid in youth

Raised on hagumber, juice, and homemade bread

Politeness 

Persecution by The System back when nobody saw The Man

Except my parents and a few 

Hippies.

I blame it on him 

not Him but 

Reagan—

What can I do with a shrunken hippocampus?

Reagan’s trickle down pee didn’t make this plant grow.

“Bipolar disorder”

“Lithium”

“Wellbutrin”

“Zyprexa”

“Tegretol”

“Trileptal”

“Olanzapine”

“Oxcarbazapine”

“Zinc deficiency”

“Pyroluria”

Meat—acetyl-l-carnitine—needed.

Fish, walnuts—Omega 3—needed.

Reagan—“Let them eat cake.”

Light and dark balance needed to regulate my organ systems.

Exercise and sex required.

Peace vital to mental health. 

Mental health vital to peace of the world community.

Why am I important?  

How can I make a difference?

Why shouldn’t you get to make a difference (peace) too?

How did Reagan hurt your mind?

Peace doesn’t come from quietude, 

from standing like a tree;

Creation is its action mood

so let the spirit free!

Give peace a chance, that’s all I’m saying.  Me and my damaged brain.  John Lennon’s memory.  The boy and girl who must walk each day, looking for God’s grace in the form of money—

pennies  nickels  dimes  quarters  singles  fives  tens  twenties

a broken gold bracelet worth $120

laying on the ground

the cement

A feather 

A flower

A faith

A peace—

  today?

God Bless the World Today!

(Inspired by Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the USA”)

I have to say America’s 

The best I’ve ever had.

I’ve lived here all my life, 

Not much travel (it’s my bad).

If I could start again, I’d visit

Other places, too.

But I love my Earthly life—

It’s sustained me through and through.

Stars on every U. S. flag, 

Thirteen moon-months stripe

If any space is tainted, 

Use that banner “clean” to wipe!

That’s the way we’ve ruled the Planet.

There could be a change:

Global aspirations from all over—

Is that strange?

I’m proud to be from the U. S.,

Tall mountains majesty,

And know that I don’t want a gun,

Peace is no travesty!

And I’d like to stand along with you 

And shake your hand, I’d say,

That I love my fellow Earthly folk,

God bless the world today!!

From the lakes of ancient Persia

To the hills of Vietnam

Let us not fail to celebrate,

Not drop another bomb.

War finally done, some great ones died.

None need face fear now, right?!

The U. N. must do its work,

All nations giving light!

All share a home, it’s Planet Earth,

From sea to shining sea.

Why don’t we now collaborate

On laughs for you and me?

I’d like to high-five you and hug

My neighbor from afar,

Let’s cooperate together

To save Earth, the Sun’s all star!

All Help the U. S. A!

Inspired by Lee Greenwood’s song “God Bless the U. S. A.”

I love this land I stand on

Maybe more than some could grasp.

I’m in red, white, blue tie-dye–

An equals sign my clasp!

From Denver to Seattle,

Going south to Georgia too,

Where Old Glory’s overhead, 

The great bald eagles flew,

To Lady Liberty who towers,

Welcoming with hand of light,

Our country in its guises is

Not always in the right.

But I’m proud to be an American, 

Where my family came to live.

Like others from those distant lands

Who now are here to give,

I want to stand up

Next to you,

So we can both salute

Our brave past; now, our future

Needs our people not to shoot!

From Chicago down to Texas

Innocents murdered in cold

Bloody NRA gets richer

That Amendment Two—so old!

From the swamps of Leeziana

To the sands of Arizone

The people upset, crying,

Health care stealing all they own.

Yet I’m proud to be an American,

Sharing all the problems here.

Trying to get help we need,

Not have sad eyes that tear.

And I want to sit down next to you,

Take your hand and say,

That we must play together 

If we love the USA!

From first responders’ hurt lungs

To broken bones of the police,

Soldiers’ missing limbs 

PTSD—on the increase!

From teachers and bus drivers,

Truck unloaders, work all day,

To security guards, phone callers

Working hard all night, I say,

That I love my fellow Americans

Who made the U. S. Number One!

They contributed their best

As our great citizens’ve done.

And I’ll gladly stand up next to them,

To save their bodies’ health

‘Cause they have strong American hearts—

We’ve got to learn true wealth!

I’m glad to be an American,

But do we keep it for ourself?

Most of us came from afar,

Do we put others on a shelf?

Why don’t we stand up, write

A new agenda for our land

I think it’s time our country 

Will become a smart new brand!

Yeah, I’m proud to be an American,

My humble nest is here.

I sometimes order pizza,

On the weekends, drink some beer.

I would like to stand up next to you

In all our grief and pain.

How can we use our freedom

To bring peace? wonders this brain.

USA Dot Two 

Is a newer version of

America, for winners,

Built by those of us who love

Our country and are ready 

To try something that’s more green,

Flex our muscles, stretch our bones,

Take a leap over the mean.

There ain’t no doubt I love this land—

I’ll help the USA!

I disliked actor Ronald Reagan

All the things that he would quote

And the trickle-down idea’s

Not exactly all she wrote.

My anger at rich people’s greed

Puts my love to the test—

I do care for my neighbor.

Let’s put selfishness to rest!

Yes, I’m proud to be an American,

With friendly border lands.

No need for trade in weapons—

We want new games for our hands!

And I have to stand up

Next to those

Who’ll choose our leader new

By votes we’ll use our freedom,

Finding one who has a clue.

There ain’t no doubt we love this land—

All help the USA!

I Love the U. S. A!?!

Inspired by Lee Greenwood’s song, “God Bless the U. S. A.”

I’m kind of feeling down, waiting 

For the smoke to clear—

Global warming and pollution

Make U. S. government less dear.

I’d like to do some wishful 

Thinking now about our State.

Just a bit of sarcasm 

Could clarify our fate. 

I must say that this country 

Is the kindest I’ve yet seen!

I’ve lived here all my life, 

And never has it been less mean! 

Asylum is a gift our 

Government may well bestow

On wealthy friends, bright students; 

But, mostly, ones who’ve suffered so!

Yeah, sarcasm is helping

Me to think about our plight.

But some minds lag in the U. S.–

We need to feel the bite! 

I’m proud to be an American,

‘Cause at least here I can breathe.

I thank the ones who drive cars less

And sacrifice for me! 

And I’d gladly stand along with you, 

Recycling as we can,

We’re greening so adeptly,  

In the home of every man! 

I’m so proud to be an American,

Here at least we have some sense—

Homes for homeless people—

What?  You think that we’re dense?

It’s not hard to criticize 

Our country, as we are:

A history of achievements,

Though today we’re just sub-par.

Let me go on, in irony,

It may spell out some truth

For elders who make policies,

And voters in their youth.

From the swamps of Illinoisans 

To the hot Nevada sand,

The nations’s free for speaking,

See art (not walls) cross the land!  

We should hear the children’s words,

Our education’s not so fine (?):

Are we teaching them to grow up

Leaders, honoring their minds?

We will always have the duty

Of defending from within—

From greedy and from unkind thoughts—

Virtuous we’ve always been! 

Do you see my frustrations 

With our nation as it is?

We say we love our values,

But our pop has lost its fizz.

Now, I’d like to take your hand, 

Guide you on freedom’s shining way.

If respect would ever get here—

Help me love the USA!

Team Worldwide

Welcome to Team Worldwide, a method to invite Earth’s people to help run our new humanity, composed of world citizens.   You can decide to join Team Worldwide after reading this one-page Proposal for Teamwork, which is designed to describe any job that is benignly contributing to the health of the world.  I hope this document will give folks a feeling of how I see that working/playing for the world in a positive sense might look. You might use it, for example, to look at whether your current position is healthy for you and the world. I hope that you will join Team Worldwide and all work will become as the playing that we need to do in order to evolve!

a proposal for teamwork!

We want to be able to count on you to help improve the world!

You can expect to grow and learn because of holding this job!

We expect you to find value in your job.  We need you to find satisfaction in it and pleasure, and to take pride!

Please express yourself.  We will express ourselves in a healthy, constructive way befitting a group of people with positive goals in their hearts.  When you need help in expressing yourself, we want you to seek it diligently.

Please tell us if you lack the skills to complete the work or if you have a prior commitment to other work.

Please agree to maintain your health and well-being.  Please work each day so the job can get done.  Please keep your psychological state balanced, and in motion.

We want you to say what your needs are, including the need to be acknowledged, though you can expect us to praise your good work.  If you see that your teammates are producing good work, please say so.

Please report any complaint effectively (to someone who will do something about the situation).

If you find something that needs to be getting done is not, we’d like you to tell us what that is.

Please also agree that you’ll apply yourself to getting any part of the job done, though—if it is unethical and we haven’t realized it, please tell us; we don’t want you to do any unethical work.

We want to hear your ideas on how to make your job more effective and fun.  Please share them!

welcome to the team!

Human, Truth, Trust, Reality, Self

HUMAN

Hungry Here Holiness,

Unique Understands Utter

Moral Mysterious, Malaise,

Artistic Analytical Androgyny—

Naked Nervousness Normal

TRUTH

The Tenderly Toil,

Rock Ruled Recreation,

Underground Underlings Until

Triumphs: Talk Transformed

Health! Honor Humanity!

TRUST

Tradition Things Telling

Rules Restrained, Restless, 

Unless Urgent, Uttermost

Someone Shout Souls,

Teaches “Talk!” “Take!”

REALITY

Respect Restoring Redoing

Engages Excellence Enjoyment:

Alternative Awe American

Leaders Loves Lives,

In Into If

Training Total Theater,

Yielding “Yes!” Yes!

SELF

Soulful Simply, Singing Story

Experiences Everyone Eloquence Event

Leave Loves Later Luck

Footwork Fun! Flies Fragment

Liberty, Justice, Freedom, Love, Life, Beauty, Heal, Share, Wisdom

LIBERTY

LITERACY LOVE LISTENING

ILLUMINATES INFINITELY IS

BENEVOLENT BECOMING BLATENT

EXAMPLES; EVERYONE’S ENLIGHTENMENT,

ROGUES ROAD ROUSING

TREMBLINGLY TO TRIUMPHANT

YIELD! YOUTH “YES!” ’S

JUSTICE

JEST JEER JAM

UNTIL UNWORTHY UNDER

SETTLEMENT SILENCE SHADOWS

TOLERATES TOWARDS TIL

IMPROMPTU INNOCENT ILLINOIS

CASUAL CHILDREN COHERES

ENTHUSIASM EVERYWHERE! ENVIRONMENTALISM!

FREEDOM

FRUSTRATED FEUDAL FRANTIC, FLAGSHIP

REBELS REPEAT RIGID REMEDIAL

EVERYWHERE ENCOUNTER: ESCAPING EFFORTS

END ENTER ENJOYMENT ECHO

DOMINANCE DANGEROUS DOESN’T DANCE,

OF OPINION OFFER ORIGINATING

MENACES MONSTER MUCH MIRACLES!

LOVE/LIFE

LIVING LOVERS’

OUR INTELLIGENCE

VIRTUE: FLOWS

EMPATHY EVERYWHERE

BEAUTY

BEING

ELEGANT

AND

UNDERSTANDING

TRUE

YOUTH

HEAL

HELLO, HEAR: HIKING HEART,

EXUBERANCE! EQUIPPED ETERNITY’S ELEGANCE;

ABILITY ADAPTATION, AMBITIOUS ALTOGETHER,

LIVES! LEARNING LEVELS LOVE

SHARE

SINCERE SPACETIME

HELLOS HALOS

ARE APPEARING

RIDICULOUSLY RIGHTEOUSLY

ENLIGHTENING! EVERYWHERE

WISDOM

WONDER WHEREFORE

ISN’T INSENSITIVITY

SENSELESS–SEEMS

DOES DISTRESSING

ORDER OF

MIRACLES MEANING

Conception

Hey, women! To take control of our health we must be educated and/or informed.  We must also be introspective, willing to see how a situation feels to us; we are the ultimate arbiter of our own beings.  As women, we need insight that is true to what seems to us common sense, good science AND good health, especially in the United States, where the infrastructure to care for mothers and babies–indeed, the next generation of workers and leaders–is less than perfect for the middle class and poor, and where “pro-life” does not necessarily mean loving life. Women are in a complex situation, but that’s why we should be open to new science…and why we need to deal with our health care professionals with as much information as we can muster, and as much self-esteem as we can, because we are really special and the quest for our best care is not necessarily over yet.

A conversation with a celebrity changed the way I think about birth control—that it could be more proactive!  I talked to Dr. Bronner (now deceased), of All-One-God-Faith liquid castile soap (no, I am not making this up—natural food stores sell it in several scents) fame.  On his liquid soap bottles, among other things, it mentioned that the product could be used for birth control purposes.  I’m like, What?  So I called the number on the bottle.  I asked the Doctor what he was talking about.  He said a bit of soap inside the vagina would change its pH level (acidity/alkalinity), making it an environment in which sperm could not perform; lemon juice also provides this function, he told me.  An acidic pH interferes with sperm motility.  Sperm need a basic pH environment of more than 6, out of zero to 14.  Please, don’t take my word for this– have a backup method; you should consult a professional.  Later, I read that both lemon juice and pineapple juice kill sperm (see https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303916477_Spermicidal_effects_of_lemon_juice_and_juices_from_other_natural_products ).

One may ask, J., you are a post-menopausal woman yourself, why make such a fuss?  I respond that a) I care deeply for women and all life; b) my experience has taught me that abortion is not the best method for birth control; c) I want to tell you that for years I used not Dr. Bronner’s soap method but another form of birth control, Depo-Provera progesterone shots. They have advantages for some folks, like, for me, completely stopping my periods—what a deal!  Also, Depo stabilized my mood; I have bipolar illness, and was utilizing the shots also for mental health reasons.  The injections were no painful problem; after the first one, they weren’t bad.  The slight pain was worth it, to not bleed and be able to have unprotected sex! 

I also found a book called Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions (Francis Brinker, N. D., 1997, Eclectic Institute).  I am no professional, but do perceive that women who are trying to conceive should know about and stay away from some herbs/foods.  It said that eating too much watercress could cause one’s late period to start (they call substances with this type of action emmenagogues).  There are many other foods and herbs that have this property!  Some other emmenagogues, according to the book, are licorice and rosemary.  Black pepper is an abortifacient, as are hibiscus, caffeine, and nutmeg, while saffron, sage, nettles, and St. John’s wort have both properties—inducing menstruation and causing miscarriage.  (Consult medical information if you want to, here. I have never studied herbalism, but do respect it. There were healers for thousands of years before modern medicine, don’t forget that!)

Later, being inquisitive, I did e-research to discover that not only can substances placed in the vagina control the ease of conception, but foods a woman could eat could also change her vagina’s pH level.  Furthermore, eating certain foods can apparently control whether a boy or a girl is conceived, as can controlling the pH of the vagina by making it more acidic or basic.  There is more information online about controlling the sex of a child, and some of it may be correct; I can understand that some gynecologists and potential parents would want to reject all of it, but it seems to me that there is some science out there.

Why is this stuff not common knowledge?  I talked to one gynecologist who said that the mechanics of abortion are reliable—after an abortion, they can see that a fetus is removed.  I refuse to give up hope, however, that American women of the future will grab the bull by the horns here, managing to halt a birth a) before conception or b) at an early stage, if they want to.  Or, if they prefer, they can rest assured that, with a little information, they will not ingest foods or herbs that will harm their developing new life!

Who said, Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food?  The great doctor Hippocrates said that, and also that walking is humankind’s best medicine!  Knowledge comes from somewhere; it is not always wise to dismiss history. In Hippocrates’ day, they worshipped gods AND goddesses. Apparently they believed that women could be divine.  Let that be a lesson to us!

Some day women may decide to sync up their periods all over the world, or in one region; this can be done and observed in dorms and households, where women live in close proximity to each other (it occurs through smell, of hormones, I think). Would it be a good idea for universal menstruation? It seems to me that it might: holiday for a week or so, while women bleed, might make them more effective when they were not having their period. I was always able to function fine while bleeding, and never had unpleasant symptoms that some women get during their periods: cramps, etc. But this might be something to experiment with.

Sea Emocean

Selfless

Sound

environmental

alliances

enervate

echoes

are

endless.

millions

of

citizens,

empowered,

adequately

nourished!

Maybe.

Only

cetaceans

exhibit

any

neutrality.

Ocean Project Letter

The Ocean Project

Providence, RI  02906

Dear People,

The United Nations declared 1998 World Ocean Year.  I thought we needed one again, and came up with “Sea Emocean” to describe another World Ocean Year.  I attended the Nobel Conference in 2012, “Our Global Ocean,” to pitch my idea; I had a website for Sea Emocean for awhile, but have been unable to convince the U. N. to go ahead and declare another World Ocean Year.

Your efforts seem commendable.  But I feel that “World Oceans Day” is a blow against your and my ideal of bringing the citizens of the Planet together to act for our common health—because “Oceans” is plural.  Is there any way you could change that name?  It really gives the wrong idea, in my opinion—that there are multiple oceans and that they—and we—are not connected.  The U. S. Navy says they are in “all five oceans,” after all!   I would like to see the terms “Sea Emocean” and “Team Worldwide” used for good for people and our musical, populated, common backyard, the blue ring that unites us all.  

Why don’t we work with the youngsters to press the U. N. for another World Ocean Year?  Please let me know how I could help in this effort, and whether you would be interested in hearing more of my ideas regarding Sea Emocean.  For example, governments of inland states could send their kids to experience the coast and enlighten their peoples!  

Yours truly,

J.