The Family Man
 
Wars come and go
As do the politicos
Who sell them to the public
Under pressure from the generals
 
And the bankers beneath them.
You keep your sons clear,
Steer your daughters to safety
As the budgets for destruction
 
Outstrip all their critics.  You
Learn that life unfolds
According to some pattern
You can’t quite explain
 
But can easily discern
In those drink fueled discussions
That deepen the discursive evening.
Finding safe harbors for your family
 
In the turbulence of time
Is about all you can manage
Until pensions pave the way
For wistful wanderings abroad
 
And the respites of regret
Between them.  And here comes the
Grave, not a moment too soon, the
Gallant rescue from relentless desire.
 
Oh let me sleep till I wake, and a
Family needs another man
To make ends meet in some middle.
 




The Political Man 
 
Heads of state often pretend
To have their heads up their ass
As a clown act can often keep
The masses amused, while the
 
Adroitly unannounced burrows
To its apogee while peeling
Plums for the applicants
Licking its waste.  Tents full of
 
Mishaps are trucked around
For photo ops that can outshine
The shabby hollows of refugees
Hiding from History as heinous
 
Has its way.  And believe me, I’m
Not parsing the herb garden
When I say there are bribes
In the affairs of men.  And yes,
 
Now that you ask, I shall stay
On message even if the content
Is poison.

Return to Journal

Gordon Phinn has been writing and publishing in a number of genres and formats since 1975, and through a great deal of change and growth in CanLit.  Canada’s literary field has gone from the nationalist birth pangs of ’65 – ’75 to its full blooming of the 80s and 90s, and it is currently coping as well as it can with the immediacy and proliferation of digital exposure and all the financial trials that come with it. Phinn’s own reactions was to open himself to the practices of blogging and videoblogging, and he now considers himself something of an old hand. His Youtube podcast, GordsPoetryShow, has just reached its 78th edition, and his my blog “anotherwordofgord” at WordPress continues to attract subscribers.

Phinn’s book output is split between literary titles, most recently, The Poet Stuart, Bowering and McFadden, and It’s All About Me. His metaphysical expression includes You Are History, The Word of Gord On The Meaning Of Life.

WordCity Literary Journal is provided free to readers from all around the world, and there is no cost to writers submitting their work. Substantial time and expertise goes into each issue, and if you would like to contribute to those efforts, and the costs associated with maintaining this site, we thank you for your support.