LIKE CAPTURING AN IDEA

by Mary Janicke

 

abandoned
no longer important
 
a lone fence
facing south bars nothing
 
a symbol of folly
a symbol of power turned powerless
 
barriers can’t staunch the tide of humanity
that oozes around them like water
 
the migrants find their way
around the man made obstacles
 
in their search, in their dream 
of a better life

Mary Janicke is a gardener, poet, and writer. Her work has appeared in numerous journals.

THE TURNING TIDE

by Mary Janicke

 
a great tsunami washed ashore
            destroying all in its path
books tossed off library shelves
            young people left to drown
in a sea of bigotry
 
then the storm abated
            the tide receded
the public surveyed the damage
            and saw the harm done to the community
                        by the bigots and blowhards
and voted the transgressors off the island
 
civility returned
            respect for one another returned
and most importantly
            books were returned to library shelves
so that knowledge 
            could again be shared

Mary Janicke is a gardener, poet, and writer living in Texas. Her work has appeared in numerous journals.

Editor’s note: The tide turned in Texas, but the wave of book bannings continues elsewhere. Sign EveryLibrary’s petition against book bans here: https://action.everylibrary.org/bannedbooks?utm_campaign=govdislikes_1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=votelibraries