It has been one hundred and sixty years
since Lieutenant Henry S. Farley
on the orders of Captain George S. James
pulled the lanyard and fired
the first shot at Fort Sumter
in earnest initiation of the Civil War.
And I find my mind drawn
to Fort Johnson every few years
by folks with grievances
against our democracy.
Its imperfect distribution of wealth
and application of rights.
Today it is the January sixth seditionists
and their heartfelt supporters
who wish for genocide on a national scale
over Stop the Steal lies
cancel culture night-terrors
the loss of privilege
and having to face scarcity
in a time of income inequality.
The stench of the pandemic dead
does not infiltrate their noses
with their focus on glowing smart phone screens
to predict and map
the explosive fire of hateful rhetoric
recited like Hail Mary rosaries
inside disinformation loops and bubbles.
copyright © 2022 Kenneth P. Gurney
Umflop 
I hear you!
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