I have read “The Peace Sculpture Wore” in memory of Kathy Chang(e) at a NYC open mic or reading series in October, since 1996. There are no face-to-face readings this month because of the pandemic; and anything on Zoom would leave me cold. I am grateful this poem appears in the newly released anthology, We Are Antifa: Expressions Against Fascism, Racism, and Police Violence in The U.S. and Beyond. All book royalties go to Black Lives Matter Toronto. 

 

 

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Peaceful Juxtapositioning: A Thing

After this performance of German theologian Martin Niemöller’s “First They Came For The Communists” thought I should add a link to Just Vision, an organization of Israelis and Palestinians working together for a peaceful end to the occupation. We all know apartheid came to an end in South Africa. Nelson Mandela, branded a terrorist by the U.S., became president and jointly won a Nobel Peace Prize with Willem de Klerk. How about that! Would be nice to remove the lynchpin of structured violence in the Middle East. Land grabs and billion-dollar arms deals are a bit too sweet to pass up, I assume. I get it: bomb and carry on. Nothing like traditional values.

 

Seriously?

     You would have me
arrested
     for dipping
crucifixes
     in chocolate?

 

 

 

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Shout out to Counterpunch for including “Burning Torches in The Hood” in a recent online issue. Facebook hid my posting of this poem, later a link to it, and stopped me from posting anything for awhile. After asking for a review of my suspension: It’s “hate speech”—case closed. Apparently, Facebook censors do not have an ear for sarcasm or parody. Sure, “Torches…” can be considered rude/crude but hate speech? 

 

 

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Read His Machine: It Kills Fascists

 

 

 

 

 

Peace,
Andrés