The Fresh Air of Free Speech
          by Lu “Reed ABCs” Wei

“The moment I inhaled and exhaled outside of
the airport, I felt free,” said Yang Shuping. Where was her love?
O, “to express oneself is sacred in America,”
but on the People’s Daily that was “rumour-mongering.”
She daren’t give praise for constitutional democracy,
nor dare she speak out frankly for the “fresh air of free speech.”
She comes from southwest China; Kunming is her bailiwick.
Pollution made her wear face masks to keep from getting sick.
Reaction to her speech went viral. Groupthink called it lies.
She quickly put her mask back on, and then apologized.

 

Lu “Reed ABCs” Wei is a poet of contemporary China.

_________________________________________________________________

The “Urinating Pug”
          by Red Was Iceblue

The “Urinating Pug” has been removed—applaudable—
where “Fearless Girl” has been placed next to the “Wall Street Bull.”
But, Golly Gee, Gardega’s dog, that pissed on Visbal’s gal,
could be a lot more friendly, she could stand to have a pal.
To stand against Arturo di Modica’s raging flate
could hardly be what one would think of as prime real estate.
But now he’s suing State Street Global for his trademark rights.
Who knows to what extent will go these fierce infringement fights?
But if Big Apple’s looking for more controversy there,
perhaps they could put in Rasputin’s “Giant Rushin’ Bear.”

 

Red Was Iceblue is a poet and art critic of the present era. He writes on Modernist, Postmodernist and New Millennialist paintings, sculpture, and design. His taste is askew, as skewed, or screwed up, as some of the art he reviews. Among his likes are Franz Marc, Pop Art, Op Art, and Pop Tarts. He disagrees with Andy Warhol; not everbody gets 15 minutes of fame; but there are a lot more people who get a little bit of fame on a planet with billions.

_________________________________________________________________

Memorial Day 2017 Indy 500 Winner
          by Bruc “Diesel” Awe

Takuma Sato took the Indy 500 today,
Andretti had another winner stand on the display.
When he had doffed his milky firesuit on Sunday night,
one easily could see that triumph brought him pure delight.
He only had a few brief hours sleep before he had
to get off to an interview: the pace of winning’s mad.

But he was glad to be there and to win the sports car race,
to take the checkered flag and get his Honda to first place.
No one could take his victory away from him this time;
.2011 was enough to reach the sweet sublime.
Down to the line, he held his mind and body with true grit:
“We showed the great result and I am very proud of it.”

 

Bruc “Diesel” Awe is a poet of mechanical transportation. His influences include poets, like Filippo Tommaso Marinetti and the futurists, who celebrated, among other things, speed, machinery, and industry.

_________________________________________________________________

Connections
          by Sree Dew Ibacul
          “…only connect…”
              —E. M. Forster

Arunachal Pradesh, one of the states of India,
is in the northeast corner, near Assam and Nagaland.
It shares its border with Myanmar, Bhutan and China too,
which ever tries to spread its vast imperialist view.
In Sanskrit, it’s the land of Dawn-lit Mountains in the East,
the beauty of its flora, rich beneath the Sino-Beast.
Its mishmash languages include Nepali, Hindi and
Bengali, Nyishi, Adi, Monpa, Washa, and Tangsa,
as well as Mishmi, Mishing, Nocte, and fine Assamese,
including second-language English, thus uniting these.

The longest bridge in India, concrete and heavenly,
was opened on May 26th, in 2017,
and links Arunachal Pradesh with silk-and-tea Assam,
the Dhola-Sadiya across the Lohit’s rushing swamp.
At over nine kilometres, it carries trucks and cars,
as well as battle tanks, if needed in a time of war.
Here at the birthplace of Sudhakantha the balladeer,
the North has suddenly appeared to be much closer, near,
the home of Vishnu incarnate, Srimanta Sankardev,
Assam, the land where one can hear devoted borgeet rev.

 

Sree Daw Ibecul is a poet of things Indian, particularly its spices, colours, and food. The Dhola-Sadiya beam bridge has been named the Bhupen Hazarika Setu after Assamese poet, muscian, and film-maker widely known as Sudhakantha.