Jeff Archer Black - Poe Tree Volume II

We know you’re thinking about doing it.
You know you’re thinking about doing it.
You think it’s a good idea.
We, do not.

Stop for a moment and think about
what you’re thinking about.
Really, think about the chain of
events such an action would start.

Firstly, you would be caught.
Every one of them have been, every
time someone decides it’s a good
idea to take out the person who
threatens the world with peace,
understanding and justice.
But, I’m sure that thought will
not stop you because I’m also
sure you would be willing to die
to make sure you “keep them
niggers in their place”.

Secondly, you must be smart
enough to realize it would spark
the biggest uprising of blacks
the world has ever seen.
You may not think that’s a bad
thing because surely, you’d
love to be crouched by your
window with a semi-automatic,
plucking them off as fast as
they came at you.

But, take a moment to think
about all the innocent bystanders
who would be injured or killed.
When a large group of people of
a particular race are mad as hell,
they’re not going to stop to ask
the person of the other race,
“Who did you vote for?” before
pulling the trigger on them.
Your family, for instance.
Are you really willing to sacrifice
your loved ones to prove
your point?

Thirdly, think about his wife,
his two very young daughters.
Think about the impact your
actions, your selfish actions,
would have on their lives.
Are you that caustic and
careless about other human
beings?
How would it make you feel
if someone murdered your
wife, or child just because
they are white?
Not too good I suppose.
All humans are the same
in that aspect.

Is your cause that important?
To devastate the lives of
young children for such a
petty thing as the color
of a man’s skin?

Did you ever stop to think
that this man’s economic
policies could very well
work out to be in your
favor?

Have you noticed on the
news that a large part of
the human race is releasing
a huge sigh of relief due
to his being elected?
Did you ever stop to wonder
just why that is?

Seems to me, those people
want healing.
They want peace.
They want people of different
race, nationality and mindset
to just get along with each other
and get on with living their lives
out as happily as they can.
Don’t you?

Apparently, you must feel a
threat having a black man
in his position.
Right?
What are you afraid of?
Do you think that now that
he’s there, that the blacks
will take over everything?
That they can now get
even for all the hell
and disgusting bullshit
the white man has
subjected them to in
America over the last
couple hundred years?

Seems to me,
it’s just the opposite.
Seems to me that a whole
lot of blacks are looking at
the majority white population
who voted for this man
and are thinking, Wow,
thanks.
You’re pretty cool afterall.

And we are.
We see beyond skin color.
We walk the walk when it
comes to character.
Not just give lip service to
it like the characters in
the past eight years,
democrat and republican,
who, if you’ve not noticed,
made it much harder for
you, me and millions of
other hard working folks
be able to enjoy a dinner
out, a tank of gas,
the comfort of having a
couple extra bucks in
your pocket after the bills
are paid.
If they can be paid
in the first place.

No one is a savior.
No one man can make
everything better with
the whisk of a hand.
But when I see millions of
people who had given up
hope suddenly feel hope
return, there is something
special about the
circumstances that created
that sea change.

So I say,
give him a chance.
Allow the people he
surrounds himself with
the chance to make a
positive change in the
way things are done.

Considering the last eight
years, what’s the worst
that could happen?
A child’s life is saved because
there is insurance there where
it had not been before?
Maybe even your child?
People feel proud of their
country again?

Nothing much gets done when
large numbers of people are
ashamed of their government.
Much can be accomplished
when that same amount of
people feel good about themselves
and hopeful of the future.

Are you really willing to make
all that stop?
To make so many people angry
at you for your actions?

I sure hope not.

You are not the only person
in this world.

So, think twice.
Will ya?

The world sits perched on a twig
of history about to be toppled
from it’s resting fulcrum.

Five days.
Five days.

The world will either heave a
huge sigh of relief.
Or gasp in fear knowing
that their country may be
the next to receive the
whip across the back with
that Good Ol’ Pervasion
of neoconservative
American ‘democracy’.

Take a deep breath
and relax a bit.
We can only hold our
breath and continually
pass out just so many
times before brain damage
sets in.

Even though I have a one way drive to work
each day of just over thirty miles,
I enjoy the drive.
Dig the scenery; rolling hills, big horse farms,
cows and steers, an old black dog that sits
on a front porch every morning that I
wave to, corn fields, more cows and plenty
of deer in the fall and winter bounding
across the road in front of me that I’ve
luckily not ran into yet.

There is though, one less than desirable
entity that I have to contend with from
the fall through the spring;
school buses.

On my way into the city, there is a
concentration of exactly seven that
I must play Dodge Bus with.

Not the most fun game in the world,
but it is a challenging one.
It works like this:
If you end up behind a bus, you’re
pretty much screwed.
There isn’t a long stretch of straight
road to allow for passing the buses.
But, if the bus is oncoming toward you,
it’s a game of exacting timing and speed.
For instance, you see the bus coming
toward you and know that in between
you and it, is a stop with a parent in
a car and kid or kids waiting to leap
out of the car and into the bus.

(What ever happened to kids actually
walking to the bus stop
anyway? Perhaps that could help
explain why most of the kids I see
look like small cows on two legs
with backpacks strapped on ‘em?)

The trick is to speed up just enough
so you get past the bus before the
driver puts the flashing red lights on.

Most of the time, it works.
There have been a couple times
where I’m zipping along, the
driver puts the flashing lights on
then shuts them back off because
of me zipping along towards them.
Those are my favorites in the
morning game I call Dodge Bus.

Then, of course, there are the
days where you end up behind
all of the buses going in your
direction.
Stop and go, stop and go,
slowly, all entangled with 14
other tailgating, irritated
holier than thou drivers…

Eh, you win some,
you lose some.

Got a real gem in the mail yesterday.
It’s round and shiny.
It contains nothing but
ones and zeros, which,
somehow translates into music.

Got the chance to put that
round shiny thing into the
machine in my vehicle that’s
meant to translate those
ones and zeros into an
audible result.

Twelve tracks.
A big smile as each started.
And ended.
Nothing short of brilliant.
And overall, better than
the last shiny disc this
guy put out a couple
years ago.

Yes, I am talking about
Sparks Of Ancient Light,
the new album by the one and only
Al Stewart.

Yeah, that Al Stewart.

And in case you’re not aware that
after Year Of The Cat and
Time Passages, he kept going,
you are now.
Of course he was going long before
those songs, too.

It always brings a big smile to my
face when I think of the time we
met Al Stewart.
A real stand-up guy and one of
the greatest lyricists in the
world at large.

So long as he is still alive and
making music that matters,
the world will be a good place.

There’s too much stress in this place.
Too much stress and not enough smiles.
Too many mouths to feed.
Not enough chow.
It looks like it’s all spinning wildly
out of control.
And, it probably is.
Worse, there doesn’t really seem to
be a thing anyone can realistically
do about it whatthefucksoever.
Spin spin as the world turns and
America’s bi-coastal Hollywood’s
are cutting bystanders down,
and out of the picture.

There’s too much pressure in this place.
Too much pressure and not nearly
enough tire to stay on the rim.

These and many more cheery Monday
morning thoughts can be yours when
you send a self addressed stamped
box full of bullshit to. . .