What Will You Do?
My country has turned to piracy now,
deposing a foreign leader to ravage
his country’s resources.
*
Modern-day conquistadores,
plundering oil and gold and eyeing
anything else worth stealing.
*
So I took my guitars,
got them all restrung in preparation
for the songs I’ll have to write
*
to document this new unholy America.
Guthrie taught us those machines
kill fascists, and we live in a fascist time now.
*
We’re gonna need all the guitars we can get.
*
I saw an American citizen get shot,
sitting in her car, hands where her
murderer could see them,
*
because she was trying
to keep her neighbors safe from
illegal arrest and detention and deportation.
*
White as a lily she was,
a mother and a wife and a poet,
a human being just being human.
*
So I cleared off my writing desk,
dusted down the corners,
changed the lamp bulb.
*
I sharpened up my pencils,
refilled all the ink in my pens,
laid out my little notebooks.
*
‘Cause we’re gonna need all the poetry we can get.
*
I will not turn away.
I will not shut up.
I will not go along to get along.
*
I’m one man writing one poem,
showing you the state of a
dying dream,
*
and fighting to keep it alive.
I’m one man right here, right now,
but I know I’m not alone.
*
I know we outnumber the
masked brownshirts masquerading
as law enforcement,
*
I know there are more people
like me than there are sad,
angry, oh so terrified people like them.
*
There are more of us than them.
*
There are more of us than them.
*
There are more of us than them.
*
So now I ask:
*
When the curfews begin
and the roadblocks start,
when uniformed men march the streets
*
at night flashing lights into your homes,
when they ask to see your phone when
you cross a county line,
*
or hold onto your passport
or license just while they
‘check something out,’
*
What will you do?
About the Creator
David Muñoz
I'm a recovering artist in Austin, Texas. Stoic student, mystic, writer, poet, guitarist, father, brother, son, friend. I am an eternal soul living a human experience. Part of that experience is working through my stuff by making art.
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Comments (12)
You write well. I disagree with virtually everything you wrote, because I believe you see the world through the filter of left-wing media, but you express yourself with skill. Two examples of what I mean about the filter I believe you use are the reason for removing Maduro and the tragic death of the woman in Minneapolis. The removal of Maduro has less to do with the so-called stealing of Venezuela's resources and much more to do with preventing rival nations from accessing them. China, for example, has relied heavily on Venezuelan oil to prop up its plans to overthrow Taiwan violently. Maduro's cooperation with China has been removed, and China has had to back away from those plans. If you look beyond the limited view of the American media, you can begin seeing the long game of what an America-first politican and globalist businessman Donald Trump is playing. It's very rare to have a president who holds both positions simultaneously. He sees the long game better than any president since Teddy Roosevelt, but while the American media--left and right--wig out about national and local politics, he's looking to put this country on solid footing for the next hundred years. Secondly, the tragic shooting in Minneapolis. As the footage has revealed, the woman who "sat in her car" had actually been told to exit her car and refused, and then she hit the gas and drove over the officer, who then shot her in self-defense. I know that you may disagree with his actions at all points, but if I break into your home and attack you with a machete, you are justified in defending yourself with anything and everything, especially if you have warned me to stop and get out. Assault with a deadly weapon is FA. Self-defense is FO. Crude way to say it, perhaps, but it's to the point. She was not required to be there. She should not have been there. Interfering with law enforcement NEVER ends well. My classes are full of students who have learned that lesson. The tyranny in America is not coming from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents. It's not coming from the Trump administration. The tyranny in America is coming from everyone who is refusing to recognize that laws must be obeyed, that law enforcement must not be interfered with, and that allowing ten million illegal immigrants into America during the Biden administration and giving them taxpayer-funded housing, EBT, healthcare, jobs, CDLs, and turning a blind eye to their r@pes, m*rders, drunk driving, and all the rest, is okay and should be tolerated. That is tyranny.
I never underestimate the power of guitars and poetry. Both stir the heart and that leads to action. My part is different at 65 than it was in the 70’s. Thank you for the gift of this piece
good
I just watched Edward Murrow’s broadcast that took down Senator Joseph McCarthy’s reign of terror. Newscasting was not as sensational then as it is now so it took a bit of effort to watch, but it is discouraging to see how far we haven’t come. All you have to do is remove the word “Communist” and we are looking at a similar situation. The level of support for what this administration is doing is really disturbing and discouraging. Thanks for writing.
I was struck by how the personal and political braid together one woman in her car, one man at his desk and suddenly a whole country reflected in those moments. Quiet details carrying enormous weight.
If you witnessed the chaos and tragedy that has engulfed Venezuela because of the communism engineered by Chavez and Maduro, you would be singing a different tune. I know it's easy to point your anger at American intervention, but why not take a look at the evil that Chavez and Maduro unleashed on their own citizenry? People were starving. They were killing zoo animals for food. They were eating out of garbage trucks. The store shelves were empty due to rampant inflation. Anyone who spoke against the regime was arrested, tortured, jailed, and often "disappeared." Maduro, like Chavez ran the country to the ground. While he lived in palaces, getting enriched by illicit drug smuggling, his people were suffering. Say what you will about America deposing a leader. A leader has a responsibility to ensure a good quality of life for his citizenry, not just himself, his friends, and family. Good riddance. Maybe Venezuelans can FINALLY have a chance at a decent life, after over 25 years of social/communist destruction and incompetence.
✍️ I applaud voices, music, pens and other powers that stand against tr terrorism. 👏
Thank you for weaving all the darkness we’ve been witnessing into such powerful words of inspiration. This is an incredibly moving and courageous work of art that makes me want to grab my guitar
It will be an interesting world in the future. I think we need to focus on environmental sustainability, maybe exploring space, and getting more people into the STEM fields as a priority instead. I like to do writing for fun too.
Your wonderful poem reads much like one of Bob Dylan's songs. It truly is splendid and ever so accurate a reflection of today's events. I have a feeling we're going to have our own decade of historical protest songs, so get to strumming away and composing on your guitar, my friend. The resistance of evil is a necessary facet in our lives from here on out. Congratulations on a much deserving Top Story.
Love, love, love this while hating the need for it. This little piece I wrote yesterday isn’t nearly as crafted as your poem, but if you have time: https://shopping-feedback.today/writers/ice-ice-baby-i424cz0v21%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class="css-w4qknv-Replies">
THIS!!! I had the same realization- we need all the poems and art we can get