Carpetbaggers

For Poets United Midweek Motif: Change
http://poetryblogroll.blogspot.com/

Carpetbaggers

Change is upon us.
We knew it was coming,
yet are not prepared.

Couldn’t have dreamed
of these possibilities, so
scream at nightmares unleashed.

Waste energy girding belts
already tightened, watching
enlightenment become darkness.

Compassion and caring
tossed out like dirty dishwater,
replaced by blind greed.

Hope is not lost unless
we let go of it. Remember,
any light brings new definitions.

Hold onto that light, don’t let
these changes change you. Hold
true to that which is within you.

Alone we are fragile, but together
we can and must resist this evil
that now walks among us.

Together, hand in hand, we can
and will defeat these new/old
Carpetbaggers.

Elizabeth Crawford 1/25/2017

Notes: Carpetbaggers is a unique term that comes from American History. After the Civil War, there was a period of time labeled the Reconstruction. Supposedly a time of rebuilding that would unify the country, once again. Opportunists flooded the beleaguered Southern States with only one intention, to fill their own coffers during that rebuilding. They were called by that name because they didn’t travel with heavy suitcases but with a bag made of carpet material and far more easily handled (just in case they were discovered and had to flee quickly).  They lied and cheated, taking advantage wherever possible, always making promises, they had no intention of keeping. Sound familiar?

I recently watched an old series on Netflix titled Hell on Wheels. It is the story of the building of the transcontinental railroad, which was considered a symbol of reunification. It’s a sometimes raw and gritty portrayal but not a bad one of that reality. And Colm Meany plays a very good Trump-like character throughout. Which is one of the reasons I watched the whole series.

The image is a photo of a bonfire put through the kaleidoscope app.

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