.

Contemporary Logic

Tattoos were blanketing her skin,
Pierced everywhere, objects put in,
Eyelash extensions, purple-haired,
“I love my body,” she declared.

.

.

Stolen Land

I heard two liberals talk at length
About the theft of native lands,
And what a shame it was that strength
Determined how it all changed hands.

Next they mentioned reparations
For racism’s stains today.
But I heard no indications
They’d give their swiped lands away.

.

.

Pay Attention, Please

They now say Trump can’t lose,
But I’ve heard that before.
Despite the cheerful news,
I’m still scared to the core.
For this joy could be fleeting,
If they can’t stop the cheating.

.

.

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

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16 Responses

  1. Brian A. Yapko

    Excellent work all three, Russel. I share your worries about Democrats who just can’t stop cheating. It’s a phenomenon. They can cheat and invalidate votes and manufacture votes and yet still look at themselves in the mirror and think they’re nice people doing the right thing because of Stockholm Syndrome or whatever brainwashing it is that compels them to vote tribally to support evidentiarily insupportable positions — positions they will support anyway because they are convinced down to their marrow that they can only be good people if they assert them. Defiance of, or disagreement with, the politburo position is beyond their imagination and, in fact, would be regarded as treasonous. The reasoning is circular, the identification is tribal and it is fueled by a religious zealotry that would make jihadists proud. All done with a condescending, virtue-signalling sneer.

    Reply
  3. Cynthia Erlandson

    Your first surprise ending, describing a strange sort of hypocrisy, is both sad and funny. The second seems more of a frustrating hypocrisy, which you’ve called out in an indisputable way (I’d love to hear those leftists try to respond). The last, very well-titled one, echoes my thoughts all along, though I’m a glutton for anything that sounds like possible good news these days. All three poems are very pithy, wise statements.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thank you Cynthia, for your lovely comments. They truly are appreciated!

      Reply
  5. Margaret Coats

    Tattoo removal is big business in California, but tattoo art also continues to sell. Maybe both can be attributed to love of one’s body–and both contribute to the economy.

    The last poem is good, and there is a California conundrum about it too. In 2020, during Biden’s big win, four US Congressional seats flipped Republican. In California? That’s huge! Some feel the cheaters failed to “Pay Attention” to anything except the presidential race. Undeniable results were explained as due to misinformation.

    Now if Trump can’t lose, “Pay Attention, Please.” That could be misinformation. You, Russel, have the rational attitude!

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Thank you Margaret, for your usual in-depth analysis. Much appreciated!

      Reply
  6. Adam Sedia

    Brevity is the soul of wit, and you’ve given us three gems of wit. “Contemporary Logic” is particularly effective in its subtlety and in the effective use of its title.

    Reply
  7. Susan Jarvis Bryant

    Russel, I love each and every one of these bitesize, poetic nuggets of wisdom. You always manage to make the bitter truth palatable, and (dare I say it) pleasurable. You have a gift many benefit from, and I thank you for sharing it.

    Reply
    • Russel Winick

      Susan, it’s surreal to hear the Santa Claus of formal poetry say that I bear a gift. I’m so glad that you like my little poems. Thank you!

      Reply
  8. Paul A. Freeman

    I’m with Margaret on the ‘body art’. Back in the day, tattoos were deemed appropriate only for criminals and sailors – my step-father had a sadly faded and saggy anchor tattooed on his upper arm.

    With tattooing being big business, we have the poor art and the misspellings that flood the Internet, but we also have some fantastic and meaningful tattooing going on. I’ve even heard of full-body tattooing in Japan, with the tattooee’s skin preserved and cherished after death!

    Reply
  9. robert elkins

    Huh? After the US Air Force trained me as an electronics technician to include digital computers, I understood that the Boolean counting system of zeros and ones was also quite stable – as witnessed by its dominance today. Please explain your apparent misuse of the word “algorithm” and why/how we are powerless. Thank you.

    Reply

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