Some say,

(sorry, White people say),

we can not judge the residents of the past by today’s standards.

So does it work that way in heaven?

Seriously,

does it?

When those souls stand around in heaven attending on God,

do the souls of the slave owner and the slaves,

have separate areas?

Or,

are they divided by angels?

You know,

to keep the heavenly peace?

.

You would think the slave owners would be burning in hell,

but if you can’t judge the slave owner –

by the standards of today,

they all, we are told,

(again by White people),

believed they would be in heaven,

as they were doing God’s work.

.

So would they be?

.

If,

yes,

does the enslaved mother,

whose husband was killed by the Master,

whose children were sold and taken from her,

except for the one raped and murdered by the Master,

does she,

have to stand next to that Master’s soul…

and not say a word?

Does she have to hold her tongue?

Does she have to be silenced,

even in heaven,

the way she was on earth?

Does her Master’s privilege allow her to be silenced again,

even when next to the Lord?

Can she not beseech the Lord for justice?

Or,

does she have to silently stand,

next to that, I guess, blessed soul,

for all eternity?

Wishing she could be anywhere else…but in heaven.

© words by Daniel DeMarle 10/18/2020

The political divide in America can be explained by a basic story. You are a white, non college-educated man. You are standing in a long, long line waiting for what you deserve. When some distance in front of you someone starts letting, Blacks, Hispanics, women, refugees, and even illegal immigrants in the line in front of you. Then you see it is your own government doing this. The rage you feel fuels the Republican right.

The Democrats see that line but see that various groups were never allowed to even get into the line. They were denied access. They were left out when the line started, and they need a place in that line. So letting people into the line, and not at the end of the line is what is right and fair. After all, the government stopped them from getting in the line in the first place.

I have been in many races where there are only a few port-a-johns and long, long lines. I have also been at races, where there are hundreds of port-a-johns of all colors and thousands of runners, and if there are lines, they are very, very short.

We live in the wealthiest country in the world. Why do we have lines? The false narrative is the line, and where we are. WE ARE ALL IN THE SAME LINE. There DOES NOT NEED TO BE A LINE. The system we have makes the line. The system we have lets others fly or drive to the front of the line. They let others charge us for being in the line.

If I catch a fish without a license, I can be fined. If they poison the entire river and kill all the fish, they get bigger tax credits and tax breaks. If I protest the line, they build the jail to keep me there while having everyone else in line pay for my keep and the jail.

So ask yourself why are you even standing in the line? Why aren’t you demanding the rules are changed? Why aren’t you making that change happen?

There was a wall in Germany. The people took it down. Change can happen. You, you and me can be the change that makes it happen.

© words by Daniel DeMarle 10/10/2020

I still stumble upon something of yours –

a sock,

a receipt,

a misplaced dream,

and it seems you are here.

.

I go through old papers and photos,

looking,

always looking for you.

.

I catch a glimpse,

a taste,

a smell.

.

I try to put these pieces together,

to put you back together, to put you back.

to put you back.

.

Here,

with,

me.

.

It is as if you were at the door, looking in,

but I turn and.

.

the leaves blow in the cool Fall air

.

The woods are dark.

.

Someday I will enter that line of trees to look for you.

.

but for now,

I will try, to stop trying to put the pieces back.

.

I know,

you told me,

I know.

.

You would not want me to enter those woods,

before,

my own cold winter comes.

© words by Daniel DeMarle 10/10/2020

When someone says “nice house, bet you got nice stuff in there.” Then later they say “I bet it would be easy to break into”, then later you see them staking out your house. Then they tell you they are going to break into your house.” Then they tell you how they will break into your house.” Then you come home and your house is broken into. Who is at fault?

When the President, says he wants 8 more years. When the President says repeatedly he wants 8 more years. When the president starts dismantling the locks to protect voting, by destroying the USPS. When the RNC, his best friend, starts legally trying to suppress the vote. When his old campaign is found to have suppressed black voting and the vote. ‘ When the Supreme Court is making a much larger number of emergency rulings in favor of Trump (they require no hearings and no written opinions). When his allies in the Senate will put in place a 6th conservative Supreme Court Justice prior to the election, so she can vote on his attempts to overturn the election. When he tells his brown shirts (the Proud Boys) to stand down and be ready. When he encourages illegal voting. When he tells his gun-wielding supporters to go into election sites to act as poll watchers, to suppress the vote and voting by BIPOC. When he finally claims he won, when he lost, and illegally claims a second term, and the Court supports him. Who is at fault?

We are – for not stopping this right now. We can shush this down. We can demand change. We can march on Washington. We can do sits ins and shut down the government. We can shut down the economy. We can stop a Supreme Court process until after the election. We can vote in overwhelming numbers for Democrats down the ballot. We can stop our house, our country from being plundered. We can give money to the people reporting the stories we need to read. We can fund the advocacy groups that do the work to keep democracy strong. #BidenHarris2020 #ProtectOurDemocracy #stopthesupremecourtnomination

You can help, start by donating to the ACLU. They are fighting our battles for our right to vote. #ACLU

© words by Daniel DeMarle 10/1/2020

Breathe.

One of the most beautiful sounds in the world is a breath

breathe

the first breath of a newborn

breathe

the tickilsh breath of your father zerbertining your baby belly

breathe

the anxious breath of your first kiss with your first crush

breathe

the inhalation after you come up from a deep dive

breathe

the shallow breath of your lover sleeping next to you

breathe

your gasping breathe as you push for that final contraction

breathe

the baby breaths of your infant as they nurse

breathe

the last breaths of your dying parents

breathe

the breath right before your start to cry as that former baby now says I do.

breathe

your last breath on your last day, in your last hour

bre….
…
..
.
.

© words by Daniel DeMarle 9/30/2020