Posts Tagged ‘intolerance’

The list of acceptable ideas

June 6, 2023 

I once met a traveler
From a foreign land
He beguiled our village
Taking about his clan

He told us thoughts were free
Like the air we breathe
And there isn't any list
Of acceptable ideas

We laughed and hollered
We slapped our knees
That man was crazy
As a basket full of bees 

Without instructions
Nothing makes sense
You'll say the wrong thing
You'll surely give offense

We showed him the list
That's pinned to the wall
In every building
And meeting hall

It tells us what to think
It tells us what to say
Folks who disagree
Are quickly sent away

The list brings order
The list brings peace
The list brings love
And harmony

Without the list
Life would be insane
Who would we bless?
And who would we blame?

That kooky old traveler
Just shook his head
He sneaked away quiet
When we were still in bed

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in Poetry, Poetry for Kids | Leave a Comment »

Decent Wholesome People

August 7, 2010

Decent Wholesome People

Eating tofu sandwiches
And playing tambourines
A hippie dippy scoundrel
In your tie-dye blouse and jeans
Shaggy hair and sandals
And a peace sign on your shirt
Just another sissy weirdo
Making free love in the dirt
Go find a tree to hug
Like all those other hairy clones
You don’t love nature
You’re just stoned

You hardly qualify as human
Should be locked up in a zoo
So decent wholesome people
Won’t be exposed to what you do
Only true Americans
Who look and act like me
Should be allowed to walk around
Or seen on the teevee

A long beard and a trench-coat
And a silly red beret
Don’t make an intellectual
I’m thinking you look pretty gay
Your existential posturing
Don’t score no cred with me
You’ve toured fifty-seven colleges
But you ain’t go no degree
Just an over-read degenerate
With too many student loans
You ain’t no genius
You’re just stoned

You hardly qualify as human
Should be locked up in a zoo
So decent wholesome people
Won’t be exposed to what you do
Only true Americans
Who look and act like me
Should be allowed to walk around
Or seen on the teevee

You got a creepy congregation
Full of lunatics and fools
To follow you around
And let you make up all the rules
You’re a phony and a faker
And a huckster and a fraud
Just going on and on ’bout
Your relationship with God
You couldn’t quote two words of scripture
From a book you never owned
You ain’t no prophet
You’re just stoned

You hardly qualify as human
Should be locked up in a zoo
So decent wholesome people
Won’t be exposed to what you do
Only true Americans
Who look and act like me
Should be allowed to walk around
Or seen on the teevee

by Richard W. Bray

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Posted in If it sounds country, Lyrics | Leave a Comment »