Tension Town

In Tension Town the atmosphere 

is tense and overlaid with fear 

There’s little doubt the angst we feel 

is justified and very real 

Our city trembles in alarm 

at those who seek to cause us harm 

The darkness in our minds has grown 

as seeds of anxiety are sown 

In Tension Town the heart rate grows 

as through the veins foreboding flows 

The white on black is blue on blue 

when violence is the only hue 

In Tension Town the eyes dilate 

when all they ever view is hate 

and all around is fretfulness 

our lives suffused with nervousness

In Tension Town all it would take 

is one mishap, one small mistake 

to bring this entire building down 

and burn our future to the ground

Our lives hang on one slender thread 

in Tension Town, and it is said 

that just one single hateful act 

will cause that 

hanging 

thread

to 

snap 

Steve Wheeler © 21 April, 2021

image source

Image breaker

image breaker a spoken oath, a darkly uttered phrase, 

an incantation of this planet’s ancient days 

spawned occult runes and twisted ideology 

that stained a moment in our human history 

an image, black on field of red and white; 

a tainted, whirling, devastating rite 

upon dark uniforms of hatred worn 

while death oaths of allegiance were sworn 

swift rise of blind hatred and ambition 

flags raised grimly for an evil mission 

riding a vile wave of nationalistic pride 

toward the deadly goal of ethnic genocide 

that moment all humanity now abhors 

reborn inside our eve-present wars 

those torrid memories of a darker past 

countless victims of a vain iconoclast 

how could this tragedy unfold? we plead 

as we reflect upon those gruesome deeds 

systemised slaughter for a vicious racial slur 

state sponsored murder that would not demur 

for all we treasured through and through 

and once held up as wholesome and true, 

was crushed by jackboots on a stony floor 

full shattered, perhaps to rise no more

yet from the splintered crystal came 

a firm determination to regain 

a higher purpose than that howling corps 

that spun a million pieces to the floor 

the tyrant’s power and strength can only thrive 

inside the fears of subjugated lives 

rise up therefore, and let your courage break 

your mental chains for all humanity’s sake 

smash the despot’s dark insignia hard 

fracture his hateful symbols into shards 

his acolytes must ever be pursued 

their fascist image never more to be renewed 

Steve Wheeler © 15 October, 2020

image source

White Supremacy

Running through the city streets

Marching to the Nazi beat

Fists flailing kicking feet

Banners flying in the heat

Of white supremacy

Every slogan that they shout

Every slur that tumbles out

Leaves us all in little doubt

Their way of life is laced throughout

With white supremacy

See the mobs intent on killing

Inward looking, lager swilling

In horror watch as blood is spilling

Urban communities down-hilling

Through white supremacy

It needs no great intelligence

To see that we should take offence

As the actions of the malcontents

Cause mental scars of violence

Through white supremacy

The readers of the Daily Mail

With tongues that wag and fists that flail.

The hatred rising off the scale

Should tell us all from what we ail:

It’s white supremacy

Steve Wheeler © 17 June, 2020