Wednesday 9 August 2023

One Poem by Joseph A Farina

 



American Anthems


i stand to sing

the blue electric anthems

be-bop and the

oh so cool cool fusion of african heat

smouldering youth

moving to the beat, the beat

of the devils own music that would not be confined.

young white gods in blue jeans

loafers and swivel hips race

main streets hand in hand

with virginal girls in street rods

each friday night in every highschool,

jungle like, does and stags

circle waiting to be accepted,

in slow dances under dimmed gymnasium lights

learn unspoken knowledge..

the ritual of hand and breast

in backseats of chevrolets

to the tinny sound of teenagers in love songs

and the breathless promises of forever.

shattered by the death of

the trinity

the checkmate game of black and white

the new sounds of revolution

invasion of naive minds

spiked with fruits of knowledge

labelled freedom

white gods changed before us

jealous of newer deities

usurpers of the promise

worshiped in the projects

on watchtowers chanting iconoclastic screams

a mantra by new generations

seeking power by peace and love

and understanding.

divined in the stars and houses of the sun

alignment of planets prophesying change

as we sang in bayside fields

with garlands of flowers in our hair

seeking communion with new gods

with amplified processions and

secret eastern gospels

preaching deliverance

without crucifixion

without shedding of blood

celebrating the light

dancing with cymbals in hand

the sitar singing to Krishna

our inheritances left to swamis

while we chanted hare, hare

in streets that became empty as our ranks

when  the truth of gods and goddesses

became less clear and the prime directive

of survival shook us by our hair

turned us into vanities

with   love for greed

conspicuous consumption

worshiping want- dismissing need

dancing like coutured dervishes

before the altar of finance

offering our prayer to the market bulls

of more, more, more..

pinstriped profits tore at souls

that only wanted rock and roll

aquarius submerged           forgotten

the seventh house reduced to ashes

all gods and music turned to rhinestone

saved briefly by those born to run

who found the ancient truth still lives

in beating drums and guitar strings.




Joseph A Farina is a retired lawyer in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. An award winning poet.Internationally published in Europe and Middle East. published in  Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine, Ascent ,Subterranean  Blue  and in   The Tower Poetry Magazine, Inscribed, The Windsor Review, Boxcar Poetry Revue , and appears in the anthologies   Sweet Lemons: Writings with a Sicilian Accent,  canadian Italians at Table,  Witness  and Tamaracks: Canadian Poetry for the 21st Century .  published in U.S. magazines   Mobius, Pyramid Arts, Arabesques, Fiele-Festa, Philedelphia Poets and   Memoir and in Silver Birch Press  Series. He has had two books of poetry published— The Cancer Chronicles   and   The Ghosts of Water Street and an E-book Sunsets in Black and White and  his latest book, The beach, the street and everything in between.


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