Triggered

Poem From The Pandemic #295
#Poemfromthepandemic, #galacticfrontera
January 8, 2021

It is their common refrain.
When we express our right to free speech,
They say that we are triggered.
They have learned from the best.

In the orange one they found their spark.
He is the one who empowered them.
Allowed repressed anger and meanness to percolate.
They love to induce anxiety.

They repost outrageous memes.
They wrap themselves in our flag.
They commandeer the notion of patriotism.
They claim to be the barometer of insight.

Theirs is the legacy of repression.
These deep-rooted prejudices share a legacy.
It is the cult of lynchings, floggings, and beatings.
It is the stench of church burnings and suppression.

Now they are the victims.
They are always the victims.
Yet they can still yell at a senator in an airport,
and sashay around the Capitol.

They all bowed to their enabler.
They joined his charade parade.
Their goal was undemocratic.
They swished their mouths in poison.

To my fellow patriots I say this.
This is not the time to be timid.
The king’s clothes hide him no more.
He is more than a loser.  He is a danger.