.

Racial Idiocy

My son was on a city team,
__Where two kids caught my eye:
Stefon—warm and articulate,
__And Marcus—risk deemed high.

I thought that I’d invite them to
__My law firm for a day,
And offer—if they seemed intrigued—
__Fine summer jobs, good pay.

But then another player’s dad
__Who I thought was a friend,
Soon heard of my idea and 
__Demanded that it end.

He called it a “white savior” stunt,
__And said that was “offensive.”
Those shocking allegations made me
__Rather apprehensive.

I might have asked some white hoopsters
__To join in on the fun,
But on that team my son comprised
__The sole Caucasian one.

I’d had two white kids see my firm,
__For summers hired three more,
Though certainly I never thought
__To keep a racial score.

But in that space such accusation
__Flat intimidated.
And thus my planned out invitation
__To those kids abated.

Though I’m not sure I could have helped
__I’m sad this made me bail,
For Stefon’s had just dead-end jobs,
__And Marcus is in jail.

.

.

Today’s Mainstream “Journalists”

Presenting the news
Is no longer imperative,
Now it’s all views
That promote the Left’s narrative.

.

.

Virtue Signaling

We know they’ll only make things worse
Yet they have no such fear,
Since their concern is not to help
But just how things appear.

.

.

Russel Winick recently started writing poetry at nearly age 65, after ending a long legal career. He resides in Naperville, Illinois.

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20 Responses

  2. Sally Cook

    Dear Russel –
    You must be a New Yorker, and I despair for you. These are marvelous poems on crucial subjects.
    My husband, a political cartoonist, keeps making them, even though no one seems to care anymore.
    What a guilt trip these fools are trying to lay on us! Please don’t give up trying to give the kids some hope just because a “friend” insists you must follow the liberal puritan path.

    Reply
  3. Sally Cook

    Just checked your bio, which I should have done earlier. Sorry about that !. But if the fungus of this
    irrational thinking has spread into Illinois, well — all I can say is God help us !

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thanks Sally. The idiocy I refer to was twofold – that other dad for whatever he was thinking, and me for abandoning my plan.

      Reply
  4. Cheryl Corey

    Russel, re “Racial Idiocy”, you should’ve followed your instinct and told the so-called fair-weather friend to go to hell. If you apologize or capitulate to the radical Left, it’s never enough. It only feeds into their mania. You’ve done a splendid job relating the story in your poetry.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thanks Cheryl. It was even worse than capitulation. I learned years later that if I had brought the matter to the attention of the coaches and other parents, I probably would have received unanimous support. Hence my idiocy equaled that of the bizarre other parent. Lesson learned.

      Reply
  5. Joseph S. Salemi

    Dear Mr. Winick:

    Let me inflame the conversation a bit, as I tend to do. As a general rule, if someone complains about something that you are doing or saying, the proper response to to tell him (or her) to BUGGER OFF and DROP DEAD, in precisely that range of English diction. No apologies, no explanations, no effete politesse.

    I despair of a conservative movement that is hamstrung by civility, pietistic good will, “fairness.” and all the other excuses for surrender and suicide.

    You were doing something good and humanitarian. And that shithead had the effrontery to accuse you of something evil? If he had spoken to you in person, you should have slapped him in the face.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thank you. I agree that I should not have allowed myself to be intimidated. That was idiocy, and it’s the lesson learned. But as to a slap in the face – probably not the best move. I’m 5-10, 180 lbs., he was 6-6 and easily 300 pounds!

      Reply
    • Joseph S. Salemi

      I despair of brainless Novus Ordo Catholics who have Comstockian attitudes towards any kind of sexual language, and who talk like Savonarola about “light” and “darkness.”

      By the way, there is a big difference between conservatives and cuckservatives. Look it up if you need to.

      Reply
  6. Norma Okun

    Mr. Salemi, do you believe in the do unto others as you might want to have done to you? And you also say an eye for an eye. Kicking and calling people names are not the answer. That is rather childish. I think the poem explained itself and I liked the way humility and pride played into the lines. You are kind and thoughtful, Russel, and as a lawyer that goes a long way. I believe it is ignorance, it is the culture, and a zillion other things. I love the poems and hope that you know that making a poem out of a reality that you lived can be poetic. That music and good sense can ensue, it is all I think poetry is about.

    Reply
    • Joseph S. Salemi

      Norma, I’ve had it with your Flower-Child tweeness and Pollyanna do-goodery. If you want to live in a dream world, that is of course your business. But don’t preach it as a panacea to the rest of us, OK?

      Reply
  7. Sally Cook

    Excuse me, but let’s get things straight here. The Bible must be read with some reflection and care.
    Didn’t Jesus have something to say to his disciples about the moment when one must shake the dust off one’s fee, didn’t He? He most definitely was on the side of truth, and I shudder to think what he would think of the Woke Folks and their warped illogic!

    Reply
  8. C.B. Anderson

    Oh, the hypocrisy! You are an inveterate cynic, Russel, which is code for someone who dares speak the truth. It’s a shame that propagandized fathers have such power to diminish the lives of their offspring.

    Reply
  9. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    “Racial Idiocy” indeed, Russel, and it’s the kids who pay the price for this wicked stupidity. My favorite is “Virtue Signaling” – oh, how this irritating trait is summed up within the brevity of a cutting little poem… a poem that has me nodding knowingly at its in-your-face honesty. Great stuff!

    Reply
  10. Paul W Erlandson

    I’m sorry for just now replying to this. I really like the first poem, in spite of the sad ending. It really says a lot about the “no win” situation that has been carefully crafted for us.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thanks Paul – there’s no statute of limitations on feedback. Much appreciated!

      Reply

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