by Angie Mack Reilly* 2019
Where empathy lacks
And judgement abounds
Is where the artist lies
The artist cries
And they keep walking by
Greed is thick
So charity is sick
Money given upward
To impress CEOs with bribes
That feed their vanity and ego
I know
The money needs to flow down
Down down down like rain
Down down
Down on the people
*Feature photo also by Angie Mack Reilly
Feature photo by Angie Mack Reilly (c) 2015
I have always preached,
“The best art forms contain the greatest contradictions.”
I love contradiction. It is the drama of our existence.
Right now, I am humored by the earth being blanketed by cool virgin snow.
Meanwhile, my burning heart is inflamed with the passion of my prime.
The earth is being cooled and my soul is flaming hot.
Contradictions.
My nerdy and shy highschool friend is now a diva.
Another boy has pleasantly matured.
Popular friends have vanished
and unknown ones have become beacons of light.
Life has a way of leveling
and bringing the obscure to the spotlight
and the stars to the pit.
Life is full of drama and…
the best drama is full of contradictions.
Who would have known
we would all end up here?
“I write because I love to write…. Long years ago when the world was new for me, I dreamed of being a composer–wrote songs, many of them. The words took fire and the music smouldered and so, following the lead of friends and critics, I turned my face toward poetry and put my songs away for a while. Then came drama. I was persuaded to try it and found it a living avenue–and yet–the thing left most unfinished, less exploited, first relinquished, is still nearest my heart and most dear.” –Georgia Douglas Johnson
by Angie Mack Reilly 2019
Just remember that there are an infinite number of possibilities
An infinite number of combinations
An infinite number of ways in which your story could end
You could literally be alone and crying tonight
But then meet your true love during an accident
on the way to work the next morning
An /excerpt/ of a poem…….
by Angie Mack Reilly 2019
If I were to choose my own life to live,
I would slow down.
Travel.
Write.
Compose.
Read.
Observe.
Record.
Make things.
Sell things.
Things with meaning
like necklaces and such.
I wouldn’t have a strict schedule.
I would move about freely
at the speed that I like
which is slow.
I am an artist.
A multi-disciplinary artist.
I communicate best through the arts
and use a variety of means
to communicate.
It requires much solitude to formulate ideas.
Much research and thinking is involved.
I have not been able to use my own artistic skills
to their fullest capacity
because of being occupied with surviving.
Financially. Medically. Emotionally. Physically.
So I would like to give myself space,
for the first time in life,
to produce my own creative work.
I am thinking that I would like for it to be a musical.
Or a book.
Or to record people and events on the road…….
To Be Continuted……
NARRATOR
If I were to listen to America,
MY America,
I would visit the masses online
to hear what the individuals would have to say.
I would not turn on the news
or view the perspective of the entertainment industry.
I would not look on Wall Street
or see what the Dow has to portray.
I would go to the Information Superhighway;
yes, to the digital streets to find my answer
as to where America is heading……….
ACT 1
I see Instagram trending with photos of
homemade gardens, homemade meals, pets doing pet things, happy children and seamstress’ weaves.
I see Facebook smothered in quotes of
encouragement, acceptance and prayer.
In fact, I met an entire army of friends
who have cheered me on to beat breast cancer!
NARRATOR
We are coming home.
Many of us, especially the middle class,
have learned that we have had to fend for ourselves, our families and our communities in order to stay alive.
We have learned that capitalism
and its “ists” cannot be trusted.
Therefore should not be embraced.
So we have created an America of our own….
by the people, with the people, FOR the people.
ACT II
We are traveling less because of the oil crisis.
We are making and giving homemade gifts
in order to support local and American-made business
as opposed to commerce oversees.
We are growing our own food and
sharing our recipes with friends.
We are growing our own herbs
and embracing alternative remedies.
A shift from dependent to self sufficient.
Many of us have learned that the health care system
cannot be trusted.
The Healthcare SYSTEM.
The Corporate SYSTEM.
The Education SYSTEM.
The Medical INDUSTRY.
The Oil INDUSTRY.
The Food INDUSTRY.
The Religious INSTITUTION.
The Government INSTITUTION.
THE VISIONARY
I see a rejection of system, of industry, of institution
and I see America coming home
and traveling less toward
the American Dream
as it has been dangled before us.
We are smarter than that.
We are coming home
to morality and truth.
We are making music in our homes together
and laughing once again.
We are entertaining ourselves by telling jokes,
creating fun, sharing stories and wine,
prioritizing art and love.
WHY HOME? Because we’ve realized that
we have nowhere else to go.
We were lured away from homes
for decades to travel afar
for the sake of power, esteem and wealth.
Perhaps the true American Dream
is to stay close……
to love and help family, friends,
coworkers and even enemies,
to dwell in and influence our own
personal communities—
our neighbors, our schools,
OURSELVES.
CHORUS
This is good, America.
This is good.
America is coming home again.
*Please remember that this is a piece of literature or art and should be viewed as such
