Thoughts Have Hands

Tonight Minneapolis cries out 

               Under siege from deadly Ice

 Spreading an aggravating chill 

                      In an already harsh winter.

Unhinged Ice raiders

               Slip down freezing streets 

Batter Neighbors 

                Shout curses 

Bash in doors to

                Shatter city peace.

Put knees on necks

               Breaks some bones 

Handcuff good people

                Lock them in cages 

Murder a smiling mother 

               Supporting her friends 

Orphan her son

                No empathy to pretend.

Schools raided — teach new 

            Lessons on uncivil intrusions

Churches invaded —

           To worship ungodly delusions

Citizens mass with hardy resolution

          And the spirit of empathy to

Protest armed bullies and militant racists,

Mock the frantic performance

And cowboy antics of B actors,

As Ice paints Minneapolis in

A veneer of red rage and

Alternative facts —

Labeled for now lawful 

And laughably viable.

The White House staff doubles down

And well paid Fox insiders

Invent new crimes to

Intimidate the people.

A wannabe king

               Searches for his crown

Decrees all resistance 

                Ugly and stupid 

Keeps the lid tight on relevant information

                  No consideration of cost

Blocks release of secrets of child predation

  

Churns the melting pot

                           Stokes the chaos 

Brings it to a boil

Says bad things happen

 Heads crack open but

  He knows nothing

Never backs down.

 

As a great metropolis

Defends against military occupation  

         

No sign of mercy

                        Thinks it great fun

As opponents bleed red.

         

On these dark Minnesota nights 

                            Nothing feels right,

Save for Good neighbors

                       Spreading salt down 

 To melt the terrors of ice 

                       All over town.

THH

01/29/26 revised

Shrink into yourself

            infinitesimally small

Invisible to most

        Comfortable but lost.

Then with Good reason 

                  Flex for freedom

Like in days of old when 

    The weak were defended

Unconcerned for the few 

          Who took advantage.

Radiate energy

         Make human connections

Ready to overrule

         The deluge of misinformation.

Stretch flesh and bone

                      Incredibly thin

Risk skin-pricks 

                      And bones that crack.

Keep breathing 

               Expand inside out 

Until your chest muscles

                                   cry out

Calculate for pain ?

Refresh your head with 

                       good Viking air

Exhale at the brink —

                        Don’t burst.

As the country ices over

                    In once civil spaces 

Watch your back 

                    Since states of confusion 

Breed crazy

                    Perceptions.

Confidence gets shaky 

                                  at eye level

Shock with dim recognition 

                       Etch lines of doubt 

In good citizen faces.

Your bubble

                 On horizontal 

Shifts vertical 

                 Your best flips inside out 

Turns radical.

Habits alter 

          Spheres of influence falter

To glimpse higher visions

            Requires better glasses.

On whims of viral winds

                      Ice pirates flew in 

Slip sliding through town 

        To clamp argument down. 

Ice blankets urban scenes 

                       In bellicose gear

War weapons for arms 

            Aimed at creating fear.

With unfriendly frowns

                      Loaded for bear 

They guard dicey ground

                Praise an idol of gold

Black coal eyes 

                See nothing but trouble

Point angry fingers 

                 Curse friendly neighbors 

Invent new crimes.

Perpetrate dread

             Scare innocent people 

Shoot a mother dead 

              For asking questions 

No sign of contrition.

On frozen streets travelers greet 

Peaceful comrades 

                Chant historic phrases  

Endure long winter nights

                Dance on thin ice

Skin sunburned 

                Raw and red

Wind chaffed cheeks

                Refuse to submit.

Strange times

            Call for loud protests

Thoughts on fire

            Minds who love rest 

Turned inside out

            Make time to speak

In freedom.

It’s flight or fight!

Stirred by nightmare scenes 

           Never dreamed serious

Somnolent brains awaken 

            To ugly conditions.

You wish a friendly snow

            To provide deep cover

Douse flames ignited by

                         Violent raiders.

Snowballs effects 

           Roll down Minnesota hills

An avalanche of courage 

              Drives out intrusions

Drowns obscene collusion

              And binary illusions.

A warm sun will rise

Burrow under storm clouds

                      As public bodies 

Assemble

                   in countless numbers 

Brave abuse with nimble cheer

                     To treat this pollution 

We march as one

                    Face certain collision 

Plan waste disposal.

May Minneapolis snow 

                 Silence this thuggery

Until spring melts

         Away dirt from the ravage of ice 

Washes streets clean 

         Into warm Gulf Stream waters

So blue ocean currents can 

                      Restore the good life 

Bring us back to our

                       Common senses.

THH

01/21/26

Keep it up — attack after attack —

Matters little who gets slaughtered 

Or blown to bits season to season.

Certainly less than the words you

might use to frame a reason.

Arrange your own facts. 

Stage your best scene, 

Polish your image, 

Be the hero, 

first act to last.

Tear up the people’s house 

Decorate with gold

Be first with the most-est

Always aggressive, and

Painfully boisterous.

Never make excuses,

Keep fighting back. 

Speak words that sting: 

Be loud, be plain,

In media range of social exchange.

Talk down to the dumb, 

the passive, the overly reflective,

and save a sharp jab for the inoffensive. 

Fire the ugly and disagreeable,

Bully the disliked, 

the outcast and weak.

Never forget your fans 

Be the accomplished showman 

Give them Las Vegas moments:

second rate singers

in skimpy costumes with 

plenty of cleavage,

accompanied by laughter

at mean pointed zingers.

Be completely outlandish

wrapped in the flag —

Praise the red, the white, 

and maybe the blue, and

At all costs hold center stage

Or threaten to sue.

Fly our colors — the ones we like.

Give free red Maga hats to 

favorite clans.

Use plenty of glitz,

with swaggering swingers

have a blast.

 

Tell the uninvited:

 go take a hike.

Surprise friends with smiling grit.

Throw outrageous parties, 

Add up the grift,

Grant a few pardons,

Never show mercy, 

Pass tax reductions

for the wealthy –

make them richer.

And should your gold star performance

Land in a ditch, 

Yell conspiracy, 

Call out your crowd,

Or if the three ring circus

Runs into a glitch

Say it’s horrible —

You knew nothing about it.

Soon your troubles will be forgotten.

With all your bravado you win every squabble.

Might even pitch the King of Sweden 

To award a new Nobel Prize, 

Named best in show 

for being so bold.

Keep stoking hate

Tweet ignorance and fear,

You might even escape your

well deserved fate

in the fires of humiliation

By self immolation.

01/07/26 thh