20151105 (white privilege)

You’re not called to action if 

You’re really naive if you’re 

Still a child who hasn’t wondered

Yet why most black people live

In falling down neighborhoods

With bad schools you haven’t 

Yet asked the irritating why 

Adults always complain about 

Could be you find video games

More involving you haven’t

Come to grips with why the

Guys you’re shooting at are 

Always foreigners well it’s

Kind of to be expected we 

Wouldn’t make war on 

Ourselves guessing no combat 

Adventures based on our civil

War which is another oxymoron

I’d rather doubt any cowboys

Indians too the Brits might have

Some of them fighting the fuzzy

Wuzzies colonial escapades

Probably not Belgians enslaving 

Congolese every year the

Probabilities of questions increase

And if you’re in school chances

Are the subjects will receive

Passing treatment after we shared 

Thanksgiving with the natives 

We got off on the wrong foot

Shot them they arrowed us 

We signed a treaty but fiddled with 

Their women they took our scalps 

We took their land kind of

Been like that ever since not

To worry they have little land 

Left mostly the pits they get 

Drunk kill themselves off soon 

Will be gone we honor their

Memory naming football baseball

Teams after their brave forebears

Blacks came from the south 

To take our jobs after Lincoln 

Freed them they used to work on

Plantations helped make big fortunes 

Growing cotton so they tried

Farming but things didn’t work

Out they came to the south from

Africa none of them wanted to 

Come but in those days you 

Could buy them they’d literally

Work themselves to death they

Sang danced played ran too 

Which is why they dominate 

Sports earning fabulous salaries 

Selling clothes drugs rap 

If these answers seemed too 

Facile and you read W. E. B. 

Du Bois Frederick Douglas 

Harriet Tubman Malcom X 

Martin Luther King James Baldwin

And now Ta Nehisi Coates

Well your days of innocence

Are gone forever if you just sit

Comfortably on your big white

Privilege you’re worse than the

Ignorant rednecks who have

Never thought to ask why

Could be you’re uneasy rooting 

For the tribe it’s an innocent

Custom no need to change 

The name you weren’t around 

For the black exploitation

But if you know history you

Can see how you came by

Those measurable advantages

You’re guilty now because you 

Keep cashing the checks

c. J.S.Manista, 2015

20151104 (faithfulness)

However much good confession is

For publicity it may or may not be

Salutary for your soul depending on

The legalities involved statute of 

Limitations surviving victims

Whether a weapon was found or

The scene bulldozed malled over

That’s for significant errors mine

Are more like cheatsheets generously

Self-graded quizzes carefully selected

Days taken off sick and a few time

Cards deftly punched for departed

Colleagues nothing much to 

Reveal about my role in the

Sexual revolution I served as

Neither a conscript nor a volunteer

There were no shots across my 

Bow and truth be told I would

Not have shirked my duty had 

Anyone informed me I may have

Slept through the battle call never

Forged tax documents nor

Attempted to defraud although

As a child I may have oversold

The benefits of subscribing to

The Catholic Universe Bulletin

I falsely claimed reading in toto

Several books for the library’s

Summer reading club pretty much

The same in college my brother

Built a model airplane which I

Submitted as my own won 

Second place at Young Modeler’s

Where were my mentors when I

Was foisting this charade I never

Confessed this before hope it’s

Only a venial transgression wrote

My son’s book report on Walden

For which his teacher said tell your

Father I gave him an F they won’t

Pull his medical license for that

Surely where were his mentors

When I was doing that shameful

Deed does he have to turn in his

Eagle Scout badge as an accessory

Then there’s all that inward evil

Yet to surface a la Jimmy Carter

Those women for whom I hungered

Nicole Kidman, Amy Adams, and

The like most recently that beauty

Today at Dave’s Supermarket who

Wandered up the aisle to my down

Passing her several times I thought

To blurt out I can die now knowing

I have lived for a few seconds

Within inches of you Perfection

If the ring she wore were just

An engagement ring heck

Who’d have to know if you

Find this shocking I confessed

As much to a bible study group

Just this last Sunday it is impossible

That a man should evolve through

The millennia and not emerge an

Eternally horny being that’s what

Makes marital exclusiveness such a

Treasure that spouses give up all

Those others just for one I’m happy

To confess to that

c. J.S.Manista, 2015

20151103 (advice)

Never tell a mother her child is ugly

Don’t open the door to let the dog in

Unless you’re ready to let the cat out

Never say that’s a clever thought I’ll

Record it when I remember it later

Never put your wallet anywhere but 

The wicker basket where you’ll

Always find it never put your mail

In the wicker basket on top of your

Wallet if you can read the name

Badge on your lapel it’s upside

Down you can buy too many

Batteries never believe anything

Following this will strain your 

Credulity you can miss things

That advertise don’t miss this

Do not feel compelled to say hello

To a former spouse or other long 

Extinguished flames you’re 

Playing with fire saying hello to

Recently extinguished flames

Don’t contribute to political causes

You favor unless you’re ready to

Delete a lot of e-mails even from

The cause you once favored never 

Give a sucker an even break try

Not to bark up the wrong tree

Just because he has an honest 

Face is no reason to think he 

Didn’t do it I ask you gentlemen 

Of the jury are these the legs of 

A murderess oh you thought we

Could make it to the next gas

Station I don’t care if a stitch 

In times saves nine get somebody

Else to do your sewing I never

Knew anybody before who buys 

At retail no I said turn left twenty

Miles ago at the old brewery

Tell me you didn’t say that it’s

So easy just put one foot in front

Of another then slide with your

Left to the right all our rooms

Are like that when the crickets

Blow in from the desert I can

Give you a can of Raid the 

Non-alcoholic punch is on the

Right as you look at it not as

It looks at you pick the lid up

Well try not to give until it feels

Good you don’t think those

Are her real boobs do you after

All is said and done at the end

Of the day when there’s nothing

To be gained by continuing to 

Argue that’s the time that’s the

Time I love the best be sure

You’re right then apologize

What’s it to you de nada zip

Zilch who cares so’s your old

Man if at first you don’t succeed

Look for the silver lining

I never said that

c. J.S.Manista, 2015

20151102 (interview)

What’s your greatest weakness

And what are you doing about it

How stupid do you think I am

Might be the first answer that

Comes to mind since it’s so 

Overused any good applicant

Already has a practiced tale

To nudge him or herself off

The target I’m not quite sure 

What an interviewer hopes 

To achieve with managerial

Claptrap ability to think on your

Feet how many are standing the

Aptitude to cover for numerous

Ineptitudes or how you’d

Handle being on the witness 

Stand if the company ever got

Sued you shouldn’t be expected

To provide both gun and bullets

For your execution let the buggers

Discover your weaknesses that’s

What they’re paid to do run

Background checks query 

References Google you if nothing

Else but hey who wants to do all

That if you can get the applicant

To turn himself in how many

Of us have made it from birth

To the second interview without 

Committing egregious errors 

Corporate or otherwise any dumb

Gumshoe could easily unearth

Maybe the guys on your football

Team were meatheads doesn’t 

Mean you couldn’t now

Manage a multiparty project 

Lots of guys got dishonorably 

Discharged they don’t need to 

Know volunteer army you don’t

Have to volunteer that who’s

Going to know if you didn’t

Graduate you attended for the

Most part withdrew failing

Could have been that senior 

Year abroad that took you to 

The finer brothels opium

Dens of Thailand Malaysia

Could be hard to explain but

Direct research on international

Justice systems really was what

You did in their jails back 

In the states now the good old

US of A and I’m getting

Up on my feet I just need

One decent break you won’t 

Regret taking me on sir my 

Talents are eager for challenge 

Office manager collections 

Late accounts maintenance

For associated veeblefetzers

Has my name written all over it

May not be a perfect fit but

When do I start oh yeah we

Should talk about salary

c. J.S.Manista, 2015