If all the holes are roundWhy did God make square pegs?If we were all meant to conformWhy are there two genders and five races? Some square pegs, to name a few…Jesus, Buddha, MohammedDaVinci, Rembrandt, PicassoColumbus, Newton, EinsteinThe Founding Fathers of AmericaBeethoven, Bach, The Beatle’s Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B, Anthony, Rosa Parks So as a…
Author: Joe Merkle
Democracy Is On The Verge Of Extinction
Most citizens of earth have never heard of Freedom House. They are a wonderful and necessary watchdog for all freedom lovers. Their organization has been around since 1941. Over the last 14 years, they found that political freedoms and civil liberties across the world are in decline more often than they are improving. Its opening…
Rural America Is Not In Decline
Rural America is not in decline. It is already dead. For years now there have been countless articles from multiple sources contemplating the dire situation of rural America. The typical questions raised were, can rural America rebound, can rural America recover, will rural America ever return to its glory days, why don’t rural Americans relocate?…
I Never Thought To Ask
Mom and Dad, there are so many thingsI never thought to askI was busy then trying to answer who am INot wondering about the past Now I find myself in my twilight yearsWishing once again you were still hereJust to come back to the feeling of homeThat I’ve missed now for so many years Time…
A World On The Brink
The year 2020 has introduced to the world the notion that selfishness will not be sustainable in our futures. And for many in a world where most of its citizens spend many of their waking hours in pursuit of worldly riches, it has come as an eye-opening shock. Now it is certainly possible that our…
Imagine If You Would
Imagine if you would…that you are an artist. Yes, a brilliant artist capable of creating masterpieces that would inspire all future generations. The next Divinci. Or perhaps a musician that can compose an opera equal to Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”. Or that your oration skills would even surpass Cicero’s. Imagine if you could pen a…
American Sports Have Sold Their Souls
Now that professional sports in America are now trying to get their seasons underway while dealing with COVID-19, it got me to thinking about how my view of sports has changed as of late. I am still a sports fan and missed sports during their necessary shutdown. The shutdown also gave me time to reflect…
The Perfect Place
the perfect placeescapeswithout a tracea moment past a moment fastfleeting as it werea gasp…and it’s gonehiding just behind the mind’s eyeallowing justa sneaky peeka peck on the cheek a reminder to dwelloccasionallyin a perfect placemomentarily Published in “The Best Poets and Poems of 2002”
The Day Democracy Died
THE DAY DEMOCRACY DIED The day after Trump won the election, I posted on Facebook that he would be the last president of the United States. In that post I mentioned that one of two events would happen. One, that he would refuse to leave office if he were to lose the next election, or, he…
Enchanted Embrace
The first time set the stageBefore I had an ageWhen the doctor placed me in my mother’s armsAnd she took my hands to count my fingers The countless times my mom and dadHeld my hand to keep me safeThe countless times I reached outFor their hand to feel safe Oh that first love, that set…