The riot squad is restless
They need somewhere to go
– Bob Dylan, “Desolation Row”

Derek the chauvinist piggy
Up to his knee in neck
All coz George wanted a ciggy
And paid for a pack with dreck

Repeat: I can’t breathe, he said
I can’t breathe: sixteen times
a mindfulness exercise gone code red
Derek up to his neck in crimes

Lawdy, why, just yesterday it seems
We were modelling new Covid kerchiefs
On blue screen catwalks, zoom-zoom streams
Buffer zone fantasies, locked in like thieves

And now twin cities tumbling
Miniapnea–too much St. Pauli’s, girl
An empire’s nasty stumble bumbling
Riot squads ready, batons a-twirl

Arrests in 140 cities
Like characters allowed in tweets
Dusting off our rage and protest ditties
Bringing isolations to the streets
Whoa, what’s that cop there doin’?
Rubber bullets, tears and stuns
Hey look! Harmon Killibrewin’!
Beating the snot outta Rod Carew’s sons

Two police cruisers accelerated — zoooooom —
And disappeared through time
Other fascists used a sonic gun — boooooom —
And protesting brains turned to slime

Then, inexplicably, GW Bush
Was asked for his take on events
And all hell broke loose
When he said all you need is love
Love is all you need

Twin cities falling
Goodyear drones overhead
Call 9-1-1, someone’s calling
Freedom’s just another word for the walking talking dead

Hep two three four, laughin’
Cuz I’m thinkin’ Bill Murray
And that egg beater scene
(Why, what’d you think I was thinking of?)

Cops firing point blank paint
At the people who aint
Joe Biden people
Like fascist machinegunning pointilists
angry at the canvas for being blank
Or being at all

Thugs, tweets Trump
And Cepi agrees
When he sees
America with Kurds disease

Trump holding a bible:
Face all Wrath of Con
More hot air than a balloon
should have to don

The veiled threat of violence
In the corona age
A headline reads
In the Democracy Dies in Darkness Daily

Cops charged with excessive force
Like Kathy Scruggs charged with excessive journalism
Both sponsored by the voice of god
Deus ex machinas outta control everywhere
Someone call the cops

Po-lice
Po
Lice
Po people
Licentious
License to kill
We don’t need no stinking badge
Predators overhead

Feminist patrols of local women
Foxy femme fatales
Like Sirens from Smith College
(I remember well)
Enforcing curfews
Godivas with batons
Pestlemortarin’ their palms
Knees on the necks of creeping Toms
No happy ending for Nicholson this time

Light them up, one cop said
And thus began, the Boston Massacre
Crispus Attucks, a freed slave
(did you see what they did there?)
Paul Revere rode all day and all night
To warn about the black and white
And then, when the craze was over
Settled back in with his favorite nightmare
Chicago ‘68: The Love we loved to hate

Remember how in school
A private one, of course
We limned the world’s end
and had to choose between
Archibald McCleish, TS Eliot, WB Yeats
Compare and contrast
Circus crash or whimper bang or falcon-masked women
Who won’t listen

Justice in a Just Is world
Curfews in cities coast to coast
Curlews in ditties ghost to ghost
All you kneed is love
Love is all you kneed

Fade to black

In the Democracy Dies in Darkness DailyCops charged with excessive forceLike Kathy Scruggs charged with excessive journalismBoth sponsored by the voice of godDeus ex machinas outta control everywhereSomeone call the copsPo-licePoLicePo peopleLicentiousLicense to killWe don’t need no stinking badgePredators overheadFeminist patrols of local womenFoxy femme fatalesLike Sirens from Smith College(I remember well)Enforcing curfewsGodivas with batonsPestlemortarin’ their palmsKnees on the necks of creeping TomsNo happy ending for Nicholson this timeLight them up, one cop saidAnd thus began, the Boston MassacreCrispus Attucks, a freed slave(did you see what they did there?)Paul Revere rode all day and all nightTo warn about the black and whiteAnd then, when the craze was overSettled back in with his favorite nightmareChicago ‘68: The Love we loved to hateRemember how in schoolA private one, of courseWe limned the world’s endand had to choose betweenArchibald McCleish, TS Eliot, WB YeatsCompare and contrastCircus crash or whimper bang or falcon-masked womenWho won’t listenJustice in a Just Is worldCurfews in cities coast to coastCurlews in ditties ghost to ghostAll you kneed is loveLove is all you kneedFade to black

And disappeared through timeOther fascists used a sonic gun — boooooom –And protesting brains turned to slimeThen, inexplicably, GW BushWas asked for his take on eventsAnd all hell broke loose When he said all you need is loveLove is all you needTwin cities fallingGoodyear drones overheadCall 9-1-1, someone’s callingFreedom’s just another word for the walking talking deadHep two three four, laughin’Cuz I’m thinkin’ Bill Murray And that egg beater scene(Why, what’d you think I was thinking of?)Cops firing point blank paintAt the people who aintJoe Biden peopleLike fascist machinegunning pointilists angry at the canvas for being blankOr being at allThugs, tweets TrumpAnd Cepi agreesWhen he seesAmerica with Kurds diseaseTrump holding a bible:Face all Wrath of ConMore hot air than a balloonshould have to donThe veiled threat of violenceIn the corona ageA headline readsIn the Democracy Dies in Darkness DailyCops charged with excessive forceLike Kathy Scruggs charged with excessive journalismBoth sponsored by the voice of godDeus ex machinas outta control everywhereSomeone call the copsPo-licePoLicePo peopleLicentiousLicense to killWe don’t need no stinking badgePredators overheadFeminist patrols of local womenFoxy femme fatalesLike Sirens from Smith College(I remember well)Enforcing curfewsGodivas with batonsPestlemortarin’ their palmsKnees on the necks of creeping TomsNo happy ending for Nicholson this timeLight them up, one cop saidAnd thus began, the Boston MassacreCrispus Attucks, a freed slave(did you see what they did there?)Paul Revere rode all day and all nightTo warn about the black and whiteAnd then, when the craze was overSettled back in with his favorite nightmareChicago ‘68: The Love we loved to hateRemember how in schoolA private one, of courseWe limned the world’s endand had to choose betweenArchibald McCleish, TS Eliot, WB YeatsCompare and contrastCircus crash or whimper bang or falcon-masked womenWho won’t listenJustice in a Just Is worldCurfews in cities coast to coastCurlews in ditties ghost to ghostAll you kneed is loveLove is all you kneedFade to black