An Elegy for George Herbert Walker Bush by the Editor-in-Chief

Our Brightest Point of Light Extinguished

Steven Wittenberg Gordon

His detractors called him a wimp

confusing his quiet humility for indecisiveness. 

Born into wealth and privilege

he could have opted for a lazy life of luxury.

Instead he chose to serve.

At eighteen he volunteered

for military service during World War II.

At nineteen he became

the youngest fighter pilot in US Navy history. 

He returned from war a decorated hero

and married his high school sweetheart. 

He and his “Barbara Pierce of Rye”

would remain married for over seventy years. 

Forging out on his own,

he became a Texas Oil Man. 

He then returned to service:

Congressman

Party Chairman

Ambassador

Spy Master

Vice President

41st President

But of all his titles

the ones he valued most were

“husband, father, grandfather, and friend.”

During his tenure as President

The Cold War ended

The Berlin Wall crumbled

Communism died

And the Era of the Dictator 

Came crashing down. 

Later in “retirement” 

embracing his former rival

he and Bill would travel the world

spreading awareness for humanitarian causes.

Even his former enemies and rivals

had this to say about him:

The fond memory of George Bush Sr. will forever remain in my heart and in the hearts of my countrymen. --Vladimir Putin

His administration was marked by grace, civility, and social conscience. --Jimmy Carter

President George H. W. Bush served our nation with extraordinary integrity and grace.

I remember him for his personal kindness and for his love of this country. --Al Gore

I am grateful for every minute I spent with him and will always hold our friendship as one of my life’s greatest gifts. --Bill Clinton

America has lost a patriot and humble servant in George Herbert Walker Bush. 

While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude. --Barack Obama

Rest in peace, Mr. Bush--in the peace you were instrumental in creating.

"Fair winds and following seas, shipmate.  We have the watch."    

refs: 

https://www.axios.com/what-theyre-saying-political-world-mourns-loss-of-george-hw-bush-08bdfc92-8dd1-4966-b085-ee57aaf4474c.html

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/2018/11/30/280462/george-h-w-bush-41st-president-obit/

https://twitter.com/usnavy/status/964502877589901312?lang=en

https://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/george-bush 

A Poem for Veterans Day by Our Editor-in-Chief, Former USAF Flight Surgeon Steven Wittenberg Gordon

"Brave One" Watercolor on Paper
By J. Artemus Gordon

Never Forget the One Percent

Steven Wittenberg Gordon

How often have we heard with scorn about the one percent--

The elite effete and indiscreet upper echelons of men?

And how oppressed and so distressed the other ninety-nine?

O!  How they scream and how protest and how they howl and whine!

Without a thought for freedom fought and won time and again

By a strong and silent one percent who volunteered and did consent

To protect us and our way of life.  To them I say, “Amen!”

A Poem for Pittsburgh and All of Us by the Editor-in-Chief

Pittsburgh in Memoriam 

Shmuel ben Moshe HaLevi

The gunman did not pick and choose

As he killed eleven helpless Jews

And when the law surrounded him

He turned his deadly gun on them.

This hateful man I will not name

To do so would increase his fame

May the memory of him be erased

His life forgotten and disgraced.

Instead let us commend the corps

Who bravely stormed the temple door

And fought the gunman to the floor

Though four of them were wounded sore

And pray for the community

Of those killed with impunity

May their memories a blessing be

And hatred yield to harmony. 

Gordon Gets Two in The Ekphrastic Review

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review is pleased to announce that our Editor-in-Chief, Steven Wittenberg Gordon, has had two of his poems published recently in The Ekphrastic Review:   “Saint Jerome” http://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/saint-jerome-by-steven-wittenberg-gordon, & “What Fate Saint Cate?” http://www.ekphrastic.net/the-ekphrastic-review/what-fate-saint-cate-by-steven-wittenberg-gordon.

An Independence Day Poem by the Editor-in-Chief

One Generation Away

Steven Wittenberg Gordon

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

― Ronald Reagan

Today, on the 242^nd anniversary of her birth,

These United States are in trouble.

Just as one of her greatest presidents predicted,

Our hard-won freedom is one generation away

From extinction.

 

The rising generation and the entrenched elites

Would have been content to have

An unapologetic socialist for their president

In exchange for impossible promises

Worth nothing more than thirty pieces of silver.

Congress has forfeited its enumerated powers

To a court that is anything but Supreme

And to a series of cowardly presidents.

The only checks left are those that flow into

The Treasury, stolen from the People.

The cabal of liberal selected that controls the narrative

Would have us believe that pedophilia is natural

That mathematics needs reinventing and history rewriting

And that control of guns is about guns

Rather than about control.

And yet, there is hope! We have a president now 

Who would reestablish balance and restore freedom

Who is willing to tilt the windmills

Who is willing to fight for what is needed

To make America great again.

Yet those who support this brave man

Are called “deplorable” by his enemies

And by the paper of record that publishes

All    the    news    that’s    print    to    fit

And the media that fabricates its facts with abandon.

Are we truly independent 

On this 242^nd Independence Day?

The fact that this question must be asked

Provides the answer and begs another for me-- 

What price this?

refs:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDouNtnR_IA

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/06/20/more-young-people-voted-for-bernie-sanders-than-trump-and-clinton-combined-by-a-lot/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.648730af9ae8

http://fortune.com/2016/02/17/bernie-sanders-open-letter/

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/01/case-against-bernie-sanders.html

https://tenthamendmentcenter.com/2016/10/13/the-imperial-presidents-toolbox-of-unconstitutional-power/

http://www.thetruthaboutthelaw.com/the-supreme-court-does-not-have-the-power-to-make-anything-constitutional/

http://constitutionus.com

https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/is-taxation-theft

https://youtu.be/6cYZ8dUgPuU

https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/item/21664-shocking-times-movement-for-pedophile-rights-marches-on

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a-sOooHDP4

http://affinitymagazine.us/2017/07/11/pedophiles-are-claiming-that-they-deserve-rights/

https://www.redstate.com/streiff/2016/01/11/road-normalizing-pedophilia/

https://www.wired.com/2016/10/meet-new-math-unlike-old-math/

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2016/08/28/common-cores-new-new-math-has-same-problem-old-new-math

http://www.politicallyincorrect.me.uk/rewritehistory.htm

https://bigthink.com/risk-reason-and-reality/the-gun-control-battle-its-not-about-guns-as-weapons-but-guns-as-symbols

https://home.nra.org/joint-statement

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/22/nra-wayne-lapierre-gun-control-cpac-speech-2018

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-year-one-making-america-great/

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2018-has-trump-made-economy-great-again/

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/election-us-2016-37329812/clinton-half-of-trump-supporters-basket-of-deplorables

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-04-01/democrats-can-t-call-trump-voters-deplorables

https://www.nationalreview.com/2017/06/new-york-times-public-editor-liz-spayd-fired-media-bias/

https://digiday.com/media/new-york-times-paper-record-master-trolling/

https://nypost.com/2017/10/15/the-times-new-policy-to-hide-reporters-bias/

http://dailycampus.com/stories/2018/2/26/mainstream-media-continues-the-fake-news-narrative

https://nypost.com/2017/10/21/the-other-half-of-america-that-the-liberal-media-doesnt-cover/

https://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/j-peder-zane/article172970101.html

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/06/sarah-sanders-was-asked-to-leave-restaurant-over-trump-work.html

https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/24/opinions/heckle-trump-admin-opinion-obeidallah/index.html

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/03/04/middlebury/hAfpA1Hquh7DIS1doiKbhJ/story.html

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/friendships-that-dont-survive-politics_us_5967dfcee4b022bb9372b03f

http://www.businessinsider.com/you-can-be-fired-over-political-views-2017-1

https://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/google-fires-employee-for-expressing-an-opinion-s.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/18/facebook-comments-arrest-prosecution

Editor's/Poet's Notes:  The main reason why Songs of Eretz is not and never will be a not-for-profit entity is that it would limit our ability to publish poems such as this one. This poem expresses political opinions and facts that many poetry venues will not or are legitimately afraid to publish.  

This poem has a definite bias against liberals and in favor of President Trump.  Disturbingly, the poet/editor wonders what price he will pay for being so bold as to publish his poem--something to which until recently he would not have given a second thought.  The Dickinsonian "this" that ends the poem screams volumes.

Many political poems have appeared in Songs of Eretz over the years.  Simply click on "Politics" in our "Labels" section to sample them.  Note that poems of all political stripes have been published here, though there is a definite conservative bias.  Feel free to submit more.  But if you do, make sure you back up your words with references (and if you find you cannot, best keep your words to yourselves).

A Memorial Day Poem by the Editor-in-Chief

D-Day Lessons Learned

"D-Day" Watercolor on Paper
By J. Artemus Gordon

When the gate of the amphibious craft doth fall

Go over the sides not through the opening at all

Where dost thou think they have been training

Their guns all this time in all this waiting?

Toilet paper is but a target white and plain

Hold it not over thy head lest bullets rain

Upon thee. For thus thou wilt be slain

And never wipe thy arse again.

Through the concussion of the din

And muffled horror of thy war within

Captain thou must take command

Should it fall to thee upon the sand.

If shot in thy head let thy helmet take it

Leave it there--do not forsake it!

Take it off and friend thou wilt not make it

Back to see thy home again.

--Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD

  Former USAF Flight Surgeon

Poet’s Notes:  The D-Day scene from Saving Private Ryan is required viewing in officer training school.  It is considered by the military to be the most realistic depiction of the horrors faced by an invading force ever made.  It may be viewed here (WARNING--the content is graphically violent and not for the faint of heart) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT3q8tba_lw.

I watched it for the first time in an auditorium filled with newly minted airmen who were, as was I, sporting freshly shaven heads, still not comfortable in our uniforms.  I held back the urge to vomit as I watched the depiction of another group of men sporting freshly shaven heads, many still not comfortable in their uniforms, charging headlong into a nightmare, the only cover their overwhelming numbers--each other.  

I did my best to absorb the lessons I needed to learn from the film.  Four of those lessons are described in my poem, which I dedicate to my fallen brothers and sisters in arms on this Memorial Day.  May their memory be a blessing.

A Poem for Passover by the Editor

Fast of the Firstborn

Shmuel ben Moshe HaLevi

Lightheadedness 

Irritability 

Difficulty concentrating 

Weakness 

(and of course) 

Hunger. 

These are the symptoms of the brief 

deliberate shunning of nourishment

I endure each year at this time.

Unpleasant?  

Yes, but a reminder 

I still live.

Much less unpleasant 

than what happened 

to the firstborn males of the Egyptians 

all those millennia past 

on that night 

my great-many-times-over-grandfather 

was spared the cold sword of 

The Angel of Death.

The blood of the lamb 

streaked across the lintel 

of my ancestor’s slave shack 

informed Death to pass over 

its frightened occupants 

cowering and clutching at their ears 

to drown out the screams of horror 

emanating from the abodes of the Egyptians. 

From that moment on 

every firstborn male 

in every generation 

would belong to God 

and must be redeemed 

with blood or sacrifice 

every anniversary 

of that awful event. 

Tonight I will spill out a little of my wine 

in memory of those who were slaughtered 

enemies though they may have been

and invite all who are hungry

to join me in celebration of the Passover.

After a day without food

the bitter herbs will taste sweet.

"My Journey with John" by the Editor

I have been aware of the speculative poetry of John Reinhart ever since I became aware of the self-styled Science Fiction Poetry Association.  That would have been late in the year 2012.  At that time, his work appeared frequently in the SFPA journal Star*Line, edited until recently by F. J. Bergmann.  I found (and still find) his genre poetry to be engaging and thought-provoking with a sprinkling of (at times dark) humor worthy of a smile albeit sometimes a grim one. 

I launched Songs of Eretz Poetry Review in 2014 and published some of John’s more mainstream poems with such frequency that I eventually invited him to be a Frequent Contributor, a quasi-staff poet position, which he held from the inception of the FC program in January 2016 until he decided to move on to other projects in December 2017.  During his time as an FC, I published approximately thirty-five of his poems, easily enough for a chapbook or small collection.

Of all John’s poems that appeared during his time as an FC, the most popular with the Songs of Eretz readership were “24^th century lullaby” http://www.songsoferetz.com/2017/03/24th-century-lullaby-by-john-reinhart.html and “saying goodnight” http://www.songsoferetz.com/2016/09/saying-goodnight-by-john-reinhart.html.  The latter is a mainstream poem of only twenty-six words that exemplifies John’s love of family, storytelling, and science fiction.  (There is always a speculative element in one of John’s poems--one just needs to look for it.)  In this poem, John melds heart and ear to form a “heart ear.”  What a weird yet beautiful concept!

In the former poem, John demonstrates his enjoyment for composing form poems, this time using the empat perkataan form.  Setting aside the obvious sci-fi title, the poem, while certainly speculative, harkens back to balladic nursery rhymes and old household tales, a joining of the familiar with the cosmic.

The last collection of John’s poems that I read was Invert the Helix.  Disappointingly, only half a dozen poems in the collection really moved me, two of which I had previously published in Songs of Eretz.  The rest of the poems in the collection I found either too "out there," borderline non-sequitur, experimental (but not in a good way), or too cutesy for my personal taste.  Nevertheless, I admire John for taking a risk.  After all, if poets never did, poems would still be imprisoned in stifling forms and entirely dependent on rhyme and meter.  And that would be a shame.  I will continue to follow John’s poetry career with great interest.  You should, too.

Steven Wittenberg Gordon

Editor-in-Chief 

A Poem for Martin Luther King Day by the Editor

Donald Takes Liberties with Emma

Steven Wittenberg Gordon

Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

--From Emma Lazarus’ famous poem displayed on the Statue of Liberty

Give me your desired, your dour,

Your coddled masses earning six not three,

The richest recluse of your north-most shore.

Send these, no Haitians, hempless-tost to me,

I give my stamp when gold comes through my door!

Poet’s/Editor’s Notes:  I did not believe Donald Trump was a racist until a few days ago when he actually met the definition--he advocated treating Haitians differently because they are Haitians, a fact which he does not deny.  Even Trump’s defense that he was advocating that the United States should have a merit-based rather that a quota-based system for immigration, does not convince me.  Our president is a racist, and it is safe to conclude that some of his policies will be guided by his racist ideology.

I may support some of Trump’s policies in the future but I will do so with much greater care.  That does not make me a racist, as I am sure Dr. King would have agreed.  Racists can still have good ideas.  An idea from a racist is NOT the same thing as a racist idea.  On the contrary, sometimes racists have excellent ideas, such as the Founding Fathers, racists all--out of the context of their era and by today’s definition.  Without those “racists” from our past, we would certainly have nothing to celebrate on this Martin Luther King Day. 

ref:  https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-referred-haiti-african-countries-shithole-nations-n836946

2017: A Year in “Review”

Dear Friends of Eretz,

Songs of Eretz Poetry Review logged 100,000 views in 2017, shattering last year’s record of 68,000 views.  Over 250 poems were published, including twenty-three composed by guest poets who received five-dollar honoraria for their work--a semi-professional rate.  Also, in keeping with the “review” in Poetry Review, nine collections of poetry were reviewed.

2017 also saw the successful continuation of our Frequent Contributor program.  Sadly, we had to say farewell to David Pring-Mill and John Reinhart, both of whom resigned this year.  Their strong poetic voices will be dearly missed.  We also miss Terri Lynn Cummings who is on a leave of absence; however, we welcomed the return of former Frequent Contributor Kaitlyn Vaughn nee Frazier, who has graciously agreed to cover for Terri until her return.

The Fourth Annual Songs of Eretz Poetry Award Contest was a huge success thanks to the unprecedented number of participants and the loyal support of hundreds of Friends of Eretz old and new.  As the preliminary judge, I personally enjoyed reading and providing individual feedback for each of the several hundred poems that were submitted.  Guest Contest Judge Former Kansas Poet Laureate Eric McHenry will choose the winner in January, and a special feature announcing the winner will be made in February.

2018 should be a banner year for Songs of Eretz.  Starting January 1, we will begin offering honoraria of FIFTY DOLLARS for publishing unsolicited poems--a professional rate.  We are truly humbled and grateful that with your support we have been able to reach this goal way ahead of schedule and have no doubt that “going pro” will attract more poets of quality and refinement to our cause.  In order to maintain our professional status, we will be relying even more heavily upon your continued generous support.  So, please, if you are a regular or frequent visitor to our site, consider making a donation soon.  If you wish to have your poetic work considered for publication, we expect that you will have no problem with donating a token amount with each submission.  Please see our “Donations” page for details http://www.songsoferetz.com/p/donations.html.

You may have noticed some new names on our masthead today.  We will be adding five new Frequent Contributors next year!  Some of these poets will be familiar to the readership, and some will be new.  Three of them hail from outside the United States.  I have no doubt that this diverse group of additional poetic voices will deepen and enrich the Songs of Eretz reading experience.  Each will be introduced to the readership with a Poet of the Week feature in the first weeks of the year.

Songs of Eretz has always been a traditional, mainstream poetry and review venue and will remain that.  However, next year we will be expanding our mission to include prose poems, narrative poems, and--most significantly--short poetic prose (up to 833 words per story).  So, if you have a short piece of prose that is chock full of gorgeous imagery and other poetic elements, we want to see it!

The fifty-dollar Editor’s Choice Award will be retired next year in favor of paying all guest poets fifty-dollar honoraria for their work.  However, 2018 will see the introduction of the Reader’s Choice Award.  This will be a one hundred dollar cash honorarium awarded to a (non-winning) contest finalist poem by a vote of the readership.  Look for an announcement about this new award in mid-February. 

Plans for next year’s--our fifth annual--Songs of Eretz Poetry Award Contest are already underway.  In addition to recognizing the winning poet with a one thousand dollar honorarium, we plan to award honoraria of one hundred dollars each to five additional poets worthy of honorable mention. 

We are still looking for an accomplished poet to serve as Guest Contest Judge next year.  Please send an email to Editor@SongsOfEretz.com if you or someone you know may be interested.

All the best for a happy New Year filled with poetry and song,

                  Steve

Steven Wittenberg Gordon, MD

Editor 

A Winter Haiku by the Editor

eggnog and mulled wine

steaming spiced mugs of cider

the warmth of winter

--Steven Wittenberg Gordon

Poet's/Editor's Notes:  It has been unseasonably cold here in Kansas and elsewhere in America of late.  Composing this simple 5-7-5 haiku made me feel all warm and cozy--I hope it made you feel that way, too.

A Poem for Hanukkah by the Editor

Nes Gadol Hayah Sham

A long time ago as is told in the

Great Books of the Maccabees a

Miracle was wrought by God.  It

Happened in the city of Jerusalem.

There the Temple was rededicated.

Poet’s Notes:  This year’s Hanukkah is a particularly special Hanukkah for the Jews, for the Holy City of Jerusalem was recently rededicated in a way.  The recognition by the United States of all of Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish State, against all odds, is nothing short of a miracle.  If only my father could have lived to see this day, may his memory be a blessing.

The title of the poem is in Hebrew and means, “A great miracle happened there,” a reference to the dreidel (pictured), the festive four-sided top associated with Hanukkah.  The first letters of each word of the title (Nun, Gimel, Hay, Shin) appear on the dreidel--a secret code to help children remember the meaning of Hanukkah and to fool enemies of the Jews who might have punished them for celebrating Hanukkah during the Diaspora (to them it would appear that the children were just playing with a toy top).  There are no words for “a” or “an” in Hebrew so there would be only the four letters.  Can you find the “secret” message in my poem?

Happy Hanukkah, my friends!  May the holiday bring light into your hearts and homes!

--Shlomo Ben Moshe HaLevi aka Steven Wittenberg Gordon