"November Fourth Ghost Town" by John Kaniecki

November Fourth Ghost Town

by John Kaniecki

I slept late

Worked too long

I could have went to vote

But there was a good show on television

The Honeymooners

What did it matter anyway?

It will turn out okay

Others will decide

And I'll be washed with the tide

But what a terrible shame

Nobody came

Not a single soul

Now whose got control?

It's between the Communists

And the Fascists

Preferably I like Red

Even though I could conform

And wear a sexy uniform

Either way

They say

Voting is a thing of the past

If you don't exercise your rights

They won't last

Trump won't get my vote

Hillary won't get my vote

I'll do a write in

Cause voting for evil is a sin

Yes indeed I'm mighty proud

To vote once more for Red Cloud

For anything you see

Is better than total apathy

Check out my book "A Day's Weather" Click here for information.

Jane's Decision - Pop Song Lyrics

Imagination is the doorway everything conceivable. Fiction and poetry have a very deep impact on our lives.  Think about the reality of that when you are singing the lyrics to your favorite song. The artist is to some extent influencing your mind exerting some fashion of control.

Of course the boundaries are pushed into a multi spectrum assault. There is the visual assistance such as a much video. Just think Taylor Swift twerking. There is a silent, unspoken message displayed that is clear as day, obvious to even a small child.

As an artist one must be able to capture the fascination of the audience. There is a wide variety of music because there is a wide variety of taste. So when writing I am not bound by my own limitations.

And thus comes song lyrics like Jane’s Decision, as song that could be sung by Taylor Swift.

Leave a comment and tell me what you think. I have hundreds of lyrics like these if there are any interested musicians.

Jane’s Decision

Jane’s young that makes her more fine

Brad says she’s my girl she’s all mine

Laughing in the locker room shower

She’s a sweet cake and I’m gonna devour

Brad’s on the field quarter back star

Old Moses smoking butts playing guitar

Jane’s in the band turns two ways

Late at night to her girls she says

One man he’s so strong

Another one he’s got a song

I’m so lucky I can’t lose

Which one am I gonna choose

Moses is on the edge a true rebel

Laughing, cursing, giving them hell

Dad’s a drunk momma runs around

Moses is delivered by his magic sound

Jane plays the game she knows the score

Two heart throbs but still so unsure

Brad gives her a jacket, varsity letter

Moses says don’t worry I’m gonna get her

And Jane she’s something to complain

But at seventeen who listens if you explain

One man a super athlete

Another sings so sweet

She’s so lucky she can’t lose

Which one she gonna choose

Well Brad don’t like the competing thing

Captain of the team a privilege to bring

Moses his friends they’re the dangerous type

Halls a buzz gonna be a fight says the hype

Jane’s in Love but she’s really not in tune

A commitment is serious it’s all too soon

Hold on Brad hold on Moses I’m to choose

I’ll pick John I’m afraid you both lose

One man he got no brain

The other stuck up and vain

But the guy getting it on

That’s my Love that’s my John

"I Should Have Been A Rock Star" 

"What Is Faith If It Is Never Tested"

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.

I heard of a person who was a Christian. He got very sick to the point of death. On his deathbed he wondered where God was? 

Maybe you have never been faced with this extreme. Perhaps the closest you have come to death is to witness a loved one passing on. However, since this is a mental health blog you probably have some experience with mental illness. Whether as a caregiver or suffering from an ailment. Where then is God in the midst of your hardship?

First of all faith is a gift and it is made better when it is tested. That is to say the we are all works in progress. Think of yourself as an athlete. No matter what the sport, the contestants must undergo training to improve their skills. When a good coach gets to work with a very exceptional and talented individual who shows a lot of promise, the intensity of the training gets harder. So to suffer on  Earth really isn't a sign of God's anger, but perhaps God's favor.

Easy for you to say? There was a time where I thought that God had abandoned me. My life consisted of sitting in the backyard and smoking cigarettes once an hour. I didn't have any grand vision in my pain and suffering, but I desperately clung on to the little hope that I had.

The story of Joseph is an excellent example, as many people know it outside of Christianity. Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery. Yet Joseph didn't give up. Rather in Potiphar's house he made the best of his enslavement. In other words, Joseph became a good slave, something I imagine that was very difficult for him. Being so faithful, Joseph ran the entire household. When Potiphar's wife wanted to have sex with Joseph, he did the right thing and refused. Then on her lie Joseph was thrown into jail.

Talk about going from the pot into the fire. Still in jail Joseph made the best of life. He did not give up on life and he never let go of hope. Joseph became a good prisoner, eventually earning the jailer's trust and favor. Then one day Joseph interpreted two men's dreams. One was to be put to death and the other to be restored as cup bearer of Pharaoh himself. All Joseph asked the cup bearer was to remember him. Sure enough, the interpretations of the dreams came true. Unfortunately for Joseph, he was forgotten.

The story didn't end there. One day Pharaoh himself had a dream. The cup bearer, recalling Joseph, fetched the man from prison to interpret Pharaoh's dream.  Seven years of plenty were coming to the world followed by seven years of severe famine. After Joseph interpreted the dream of Pharaoh, Joseph was put in charge of Egypt to prepare for the upcoming famine.

Now here are the most important aspects of the story. One is that God had a clear and distinct purpose for Joseph. In the end, Joseph saved thousands if not millions of lives. More on subject, it was in the suffering that Joseph learned the skills necessary to meet his ultimate destiny. So I say to you that if you are going through living hell, hold on, because the lessons of today will bless others tomorrow.

I have suffered from bipolar for thirty years. In that time I have found no kinder or giving group of people than the mentally ill. Don't allow the world to define you and look down at you. Look at the present state of the world and see how good all these people who turn up their noses at you are doing. Man is destroying the world. If we took the people in the asylums and put them in power and took the people in power and put them in the asylums, well the world would be better off.

In the worst times the character of a person is being forged for the best times. Embrace your cross because the weight you carry now will one day make you strong.

Read about the testing of my faith in my poetic journey of Polishing The Fragments. What do you do when God shatters your life? You polish the fragments. 

Original post on Psych Central 

"Down With NRA" by Raymond Nat Turner

           Down With NRA

(For Emma and The Resistance)

Down with NRA

sponsoring murder in our schools

Down with NRA

hacks saying guns are just ‘tools’

Down with NRA

mass murders nearly everyday

Down with NRA

banking on bullets which ricochet 

Down with NRA

‘cause death is in their DNA

Down with NRA

and laws of green papier-mâché

Down with NRA

with shopworn loops of SOS

Down with NRA

senators spewing bull-mess

Down with NRA

lying thugs who window dress

Down with NRA

shills in the corporate press

Down with NRA

calculating crimson largess

Down with NRA

deadly virus and infection

Down with NRA

masking itself “self-protection”

Down with NRA

dark days in its setting sun

Down with NRA

mantra, “good guy with a gun”

Down with NRA

and their pale, cold, dead hands

Down with NRA

Rise up—taking fighting stands!

Poet’s Note: Inspired by great Jazz guitarist Bobby Broom’s “Penny Saved”

Raymond Nat Turner © 2018 All Rights Reserved

"Absurdity Of Time" by John Kaniecki

Absurdity Of Time

By John Kaniecki

When the color of your skin

Judges what is within

While all religions are for peace

And battles never cease

While we destroy our Mother Earth

For green papers of no intrinsic worth

Where a person sells their soul

And money is their only goal

When we spend trillions for war

And our veterans we ignore

When defenders of clean water wail

And they are sent to jail

Evangelists make millions in donations

As fools try to purchase salvation

Where the news is drenched with lies

A reality so few come to realize

Where America is always right in pride

And God is only on our side

Where the Bible is held as our guide

And every holy precept is denied

When we expect politicians to lie

And follow orders not questioning why

When most people’s knowledge of history

Is based on shows on the TV

Where a handful lavish in excessive luxury

As billions suffer lacking basic necessity

There is an absurdity of our time

And it is a heinous crime

We live in an ugly age

Where poets write falsehood on the page

And they refuse to rhyme

There is an absurdity of our time

The Lost Cantos Of John Kaniecki 

Polishing The Fragments

"The Wind" by John Kaniecki

The Wind

By John Kaniecki

Who taught the wind to blow?
Was it the birds?
Was it the trees?
That’s not what I heard
Could you tell me please?

Who taught the sun to shine?
Its warmth and beauty so fair
It’s not yours it’s not mine
It’s for all to share

Who taught the rain how to fall?
To bring life to one and all

Isn’t it plain to see?
It was the God of Eternity

The Lost Cantos Of John Kaniecki 

"Sunset Sonnets" by John Kaniecki

Sunset Sonnet 1

Black petals shriveled akin to leper’s skin

I dare not touch what I onCe held in my hands

Death decays outside, life vibrant within

Love is for fools only folly understands

Seasons commit treasons to everyone

In Spring we joyfully sing youth’s sweet song

Never to realize death’s hold has begun

We mock the reaper confident and strong

My spectacle covered eyes behold you

You sleep foreshadowing eternal rest

Inept in all the world, nothing to do

I shall walk alone to complete my quest

Ah my sweet rose you shall never truly part

In unending youth you reside in my heart

And thus the journey begins. It is a sad journey into that domain that is called death. “When Love slips away, what does one say?” Sunset Sonnets is my answer to that question. It looks into the dark eyes of the grim specter and beyond. Sunset Sonnets is a spiritual and wholesome look at the passage into the ‘eternal’. It embraces the harsh pain but perceives the hope in something better.

“Life is at the heart of the poet, but what place does death hold?” If you are a lover of traditional poetry or need encouragement in your dark hour this book is for you.

CLICK HERE FOR SUNSET SONNETS

"Crossing Color Lines" by Tonya Patrice Jordan

Crossing Color Lines 

America is in a pitiful state of denial.  It was never great.  Let us consider Abraham Lincoln.  He wrote “…[i]f I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it; and if could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it…”  His first priority was not my great-grandaunt, a newly freed slave forced to pull a cart until she died.  How many more women in my family would have experienced the unspeakable horror of not having dominion over their own bodies if this supposedly great American leader could have unified the states without ending slavery?  Every American can shudder at the thought.

Bad habits are hard to break.  Many people in power today still seem willing to conduct business as usual even if it means the disenfranchised are forced to bear heavy burdens.  The bitter clash over the structure of universal healthcare is proof in point.  Add this to the troubling reality of how people of color often pay a high price in blood (ongoing genocide), sweat (never knowing who dies next), and tears (burying too many boys).  Our homeland continues to offer conditional freedoms.  America embraces peaceful protest until someone like Colin Kaepernick remains seated or takes a knee.   Apparently, it is profoundly unpatriotic to shine a light upon this country’s habitual failure to offer liberty and justice to all of its citizens.

The next American Revolution begins when our rage is directed at the broken political machine and what is rotten in that big white house.  Politicians spewing lies, exhibiting an egregious lack of integrity, in order to get elected can no longer be the status quo.  We encourage our children not to be silent bystanders when they see bullying.  Yet, their parents and role models tacitly agree to policymakers perpetuating a culture of name-calling and acrimony in politics.    It is time for voters to make it very clear that only public servants committed to fighting for the greater good deserve to be our representatives in government. 

Myopia has become a stumbling block to effective collaboration throughout our entire land, especially on Capitol Hill.  Charismatic candidates cannot be rewarded for pandering to what one side or the other supposedly wants to hear.  Americans voters are pigeon-holed into being either bleeding-heart liberals or conservative right-wing Christians.  So many voices are silenced when the subtle nuances of our disparate concerns and dreams are overlooked.  And any divisive political agenda, no matter how skillfully crafted, belongs in Boston Harbor.  

The partisan divide has been increasing over the last several years.  The Pew Research Center reports that 45% of Republicans consider Democratic policies to be a threat to our nation while 41% of Democrats say the same about Republican policies.  You sing the blues while I am all red-hot and bothered because of some arbitrary lines on a two-tone map.  Just say no!  True national pride is shown when Americans can disagree about everything under the sun without forgetting to have a deep concern for everyone sheltering under this country’s flag.  Colorblind voters must focus on supporting candidates who willingly reach across the aisle, making sure that all citizen are treated fairly; this is especially important within the judicial system.   

    

The confusion arising from the perpetual infighting deflects attention away from what should be our greatest source of shame.  Broken families in decimated communities bear the brunt of the systemic failures within our government.  Nearly half of our children, a disturbing 44%, under the age of 18 live in poverty or dangerously close to the poverty line according to the National Center for Children in Poverty (NCCP).  The number of disadvantaged youths living in our land of plenty continues to increase.  This hardship disproportionately affects the 65% of Black children, the 62% of American Indian children, and the 62% of Hispanic children who live in low-come families.  This national tragedy cannot be ignored.

Knowledge has the power to liberate the masses.  Poverty in America is a multifactorial social ill, but the data suggests higher levels of parental education decrease the likelihood that a child will live in poverty.  The lack of equal access to high-quality education is a clear barrier to parents acquiring adequate employment.  It perpetuates a curse which is passed down through the generations and prevents parents from providing their children with better prospects.  This nation has to learn, before it is too late, that everyone’s future is threatened by a culture which consistently denies certain segments of our society the opportunity to achieve the American dream. 

The USA advertises itself as a place where everyone is welcome to add his unique beauty to the melting pot.  The ambitious, hard-working immigrant is promised she will find success within our borders.  But this country falls short of being a place where differences truly are celebrated.  An insidious us-versus-them mentality is allowed to persist because diversity is treated as a curse and not a blessing.  The beatings we viciously dole out, compounded by the slurs so readily found on the tips of our tongues, fan the flames of a seething discord.       

This nation will either stand united or fall prey to warring parties.  The desire to retreat and become part of some insular group is a natural human instinct.  Who wouldn’t be afraid in this day and age when anybody could be attacked brutally anywhere and for any reason?  We are all hurting in different ways, but every citizen should stop recounting the various past wrongs.  Yes, I am pointing a finger at myself as well.  Our children need for us to view our neighbors as potential family members instead of sworn enemies.  There is wisdom to be found in the concept of making love not war.    

Americans will continue to witness class struggles, race riots, and senseless brutality until being a brother’s keeper becomes second nature.  Start thinking about how the person standing nearby, no matter how different, can be helped.  Every American has the potential to become good ground for the seeds of change.  We have to demand more of ourselves first.  It could be called “explode-up politics”.  A chain reaction is inevitable.  Politicians will look past the obvious color lines as they follow the lead of their constituents.  What a wonderful starting point in the battle against all forms of discrimination.

America does not want to be the butt of some sad joke.  A world superpower lies in ruins because the blind led silent bystanders into the proverbial ditch.  Don’t laugh.  The annals of history are filled with the disastrous results of such folly

Bio:   Here is my bio:  Tonya Patrice Jordan is a poet, a writer, and a surgeon.  She is the author of Knowing Sunshine, a collection of inspirational poems and one short story. {read the book; website}  Currently, Tonya is working on her second collection of poems and one short story.  One of her first poems was published in the anthology Becoming Doctors, a collection of poetry and art created by medical students.  Her poems can be read in Linden Avenue Literary Magazine and Peace Poems, an anthology compiled for NJ Peace Action.  One of her short stories was a semifinalist in Ruminate Magazine’s 2015 short story contest.  Tonya writes the occasional opinion piece and blogs sometimes.  {read the blog America Needs God}  And her latest short film is presently in pre-production. 

Litmosphere- Professional Editing by Emily Cargile

Good editing is essential for any good book. Without it something is robbed from the reading. The reader will be distracted with grammar when they should be focusing on the story. Think of trying to listen to an old fashioned phonograph record with scratches as compared to a digital experience.

I learned something in business and that is when something works stick with it. Emily Cargile owner of Litmosphere Editing does an excellent job. I see no reason to go anywhere else. Once somebody finds a competent expert in the field the decision on where to go is simple. 

First and foremost she does an excellent job as she is well versed in grammar and all it's minute details. Secondly she has a good feel with books and can make suggestions as far as plot and keeping the consistency of the writing. When I work with Emily I feel that she is giving nothing less than her very best. 

Finally Emily is very prompt and keeps her word about the time frame in which she will edit your manuscript.  Also she is extremely pleasant to work with. 

I have now had four books that Emily has worked on. Three were with Zombie Cupcake Press. The fourth is an unpublished work that I am hoping to shop around to find an agent. I am confident that when I present the manuscript to various agents that they will be in a condition where nothing will detract from my work. 

Here is Emily's website. 

Here are the three books that Emily edited for me so that you can check out her work.

I Should Have Been A Rock Star To Purchase

From Chaos To Cosmos To Purchase From Chaos To Cosmos To Purchase

     

Dark Matters To Purchase Dark Matters To Purchase

"A Little Bit Further Up On Down The Road" a True Story by John Kaniecki

A Little Bit Further Up On Down The Road

It was on my cross country hitch hiking trip that I found myself in the beloved state of West Virginia.  I was literally in the middle of nowhere. It was summer and the countryside was alive with nature’s lushness. Green trees full of beauty were everywhere to be found. On the road that curved through the hills I would encounter small towns.  The towns were so tiny that it took less than two minutes to walk through them.         

 Years later I would meet a very plump and pleasant woman named Sharon.  She was in my creative writing class.  She would write stories and poetry about her experience growing up in West Virginia.  Eleanor Roosevelt had a big influence in the area getting these towns to do crafts.  Sharon had a nickname that everybody from her minute town would recognize right away.  Like all the people I met from West Virginia she was pleasant and nice. I can readily agree with John Denver when he calls West Virginia “Almost Heaven”.

I remember one day I was walking through a tiny town.  I was tired and I spotted a Church of Christ building. It was little more than a wooden shack.  I wanted to sleep so I just lied down on the porch and used my sleeping bag as a pillow.  It was next to a school and the janitor spotted me.  He came over and woke me up asking if I was alright. I told him I was and I got up and went walking on.  In New York City I could have gotten arrested for such activity. Guess I was as strange to the man as he was to me.

It was around one of these towns that an elderly gentleman saw my extended thumb and pulled over to give me a ride.  Upon my entering his car, he warmly greeted me.  His accent was the strongest and most foreign I have ever experienced.  If I hadn’t known better I would have thought that I had left the United States.  Doug, a friend of mine who is a native of West Virginia claims that it is I who has the accent.  But I believe even Doug would classify this man as having an accent.

The man was kind and talkative. The two of us rode together for over an hour.  I always enjoyed long rides.  I had no particular place to go and no schedule to keep but long rides gave me the impression I was getting somewhere.  When I spoke to the man I tried to imitate his intense dialect. I must have been successful or the man may have been just too kind to expose my ruse.  I recall the words of caution as I left his care. “This here is city folk around here. City folk are nice but not like us country folk. It’ll be hard to get a ride around here. So to help you out, I took you a little farther up on down the road.”

After the ride it was only a matter of moments until I got a new ride.  The man who picked me up was definitely not from the back woods; he was a genuine city slicker. He was dressed in a suit and tie for one thing. His speech had a slight color to it but he could have spoken with that accent in my native New Jersey and not drawn any attention.

This man too drove me for about an hour. Then as he dropped me off he had these words for me.  “This here is country folk, country folk are nice but not like us city folk. It’ll be hard for you to get a ride around here.  So to help you out, I took you a little farther up on down the road.”

Country and city, black and white, rich and poor, crazy and sane, I’ve seen them all in my years. Kindness is not restricted but is prevalent throughout society.  Unfortunately so is wickedness.  But this I know, when you reach an impasse you can count on God to take you a little bit further up on down the road.  The question is “Do you have the courage to accept the ride?”

Read more of my stories in my memoirs "More Than The Madness"

"A Man Named Geronimo" by John Kaniecki

It is the duty and responsibility for a human being to be concerned about his bellow human being. As a Christian we must embrace all with Love. It is the fundamental and greatest command of God. Love walks hand in hand with Truth. If we want to improve the future we must honestly assess the past.

The story of Geronimo Pratt is yet another tale of misery in America’s sordid past. Geronimo was found guilty of murder while the government knew without doubt that he was innocent.  The powers in the United States allowed an innocent man to go to jail because of his political persuasions.

As an artist and a poet I feel it is a necessity to expose the lies that are perpetrated. If you have never heard of Geronimo Pratt I invite you to hear his story.

Democracy Now Talks To Geronimo Pratt

Here is a poem that tells the story of Geronimo Pratt.

A Man Named Geronimo

by John Kaniecki

I served my country

But it did not serve me

In battle I fought beyond the sea

But I was not free

These medals adorning my chest

Prove I passed the test

While those who convicted me on a lie

Sat idly by

Safe are those who profiteer

The same who condemn and sneer

Twenty seven years I have spent

A prisoner of the government

Until truths came out

And proved enough doubt

For a judge to proclaim

My conviction was a shame

I am a soldier, a warrior

A Panther

But above all what I am

Is a man

And from the grave hear my mighty cries

Defying their diabolical lies

For the evil of the present to last

They must deny the past

Do not let my story perish

In your bosom cherish

The truths you know

Of a man named Geronimo

I invite you to explore my book “Poet To The Poor, Poems Of Hope For The BottomOne Percent” for other riveting poetry.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

When this question is asked to a person with mental illness be prepared for something unusual. People who suffer from psychiatric disorders such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, sometimes have very poor judgment or low inhibitions. That is they will do things without a care, that most people wouldn't ever dare venture to attempt. One thing from my life, that jumps out right away, would be hitch hiking across the country.

I was twenty years old and still dripping wet from being baptized into the  Christian faith. I had a yearning to discover the world, something probably enhanced by my fermenting mental illness. As such I declared to everybody that I was going to hitchhike across the United States. Concerned my parents purchased me a Greyhound Ameripass. This pass allowed me to ride a Greyhound Bus as often as I liked for an entire month. Between riding the bus, walking and hitchhiking I got to see a lot of these United States. I started from New Jersey, got the bus from Port Authority, New York City and I was on my way headed towards Philadelphia. From there a wonderful adventure began.

My journey took me as far south as Dallas, Texas, as far west as the Pacific Ocean viewed on the shores of San Francisco  and as far north as Washington State. My favorite state was without a doubt West Virginia. It was second in beauty only to Idaho and without a doubt it had the nicest people. In West Virginia if one extended their thumb they'd get a ride in a matter of minutes. In fact one time I was resting by the side of the road lying down with my head on my backpack getting some rest. A passing car stopped to see if I was alright.

I met a lot of interesting people and saw some wonderful sights. In the months ahead these precious memories I was reaping would help me bear the harshness of confinement in a psychiatric hospital.

But that ain't he craziest thing I've ever done.

One time before my mental illness was officially classified I was in Manhattan on the east side. As I was walking north I passed by the United Nations. There I approached the guard and told him that I had a message from God to tell the world. Well I know I'm teasing you with this introduction but I really don't got the space here to properly tell this story and many others. Fortunately for you I put down my stories in my memoirs, "More Than The Madness."

I invite you to take an intimate tour of my life. You'll find the book interesting, educating, entertaining and above all a book of humanity.

Here is a link to purchase my book.

More Than The Madness

Original post in Psych Central

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/fragments/2017/10/the-craziest-thing-ive-ever-done/