MEDIA ROOTS – Amateur writer Rutger B. Devon offers these two original, uplifting, lyrical and political poems for activists and lovers of freedom and independence from his forthcoming, debut book of both verse and prose.
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Cut the Apron Strings is a strong, no-holds-barred manifesto. It is a call-to-arms for people to do just what the title implies, to remove one’s self from the welfare and control of “the establishment” and become one’s own keeper. It opens up with a list of a handful of the financial, political, psychological and technological caretakers of modern society–all of which have had a hand in the degeneration of Western civilization, and some of which have committed explicit crimes against humanity and the environment.
The poem serves as a boycott short-list in this regard, but it moves beyond to suggest other actions that are necessary for the restoration of human civilization, such as the much needed reconstruction of our cities. The door to achieving a better society is momentarily flown open for the reader; and in the hope that they will go in the direction introduced to them, they are presented with a synopsis of humanity’s most pertinent objective, to produce a sustainable culture which cultivates the growth of the individual and collective while justly mediating ideological conflicts and disputes of law with respect to everyone’s liberty. Enjoy.
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Cut the Apron Strings
Cut the apron strings.
Stand on your own two feet.
Bite the hand that feeds.
Start to fend for yourself.
Begin to fight for yourself.
Stand on your own two feet.
Bite the hands that feed you and me.
Get ready to start to defend yourself
From the UN, World Bank and IMF.
Monsanto, MSNBC, BP, JP Morgan Chase,
HP, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Bank of America,
Lockheed & Martin, Google, Halliburton, Toyota,
Boeing, Associated Press, CNN, BBC, News Corp.,
Valero, Time Warner, Walmart, Target, Verizon,
AT&T, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, CVS, Exxon,
Chevron, Ford, GM, Shell, GE, Merck, Honda,
Bayer, Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson
Hyundai, McAfee, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac,
And the Federal Reserve don’t deserve
Someone as marvelous as you
To be their willing slave,
My dearest love.
Dismiss any legislation passed without a vote.
Refuse taxation without direct representation.
Nullify appointed juries and kangaroo courts.
If you don’t take an interest in politics,
Politics is still very much infatuated with you.
It has you under a constant surveillance
Like an obsessed, neurotic stalker.
Everyone must practice activism.
You can’t compromise with evil
And expect something greater.
Don’t accept the federal fraud
Or the demented status quo.
Do not heed The King’s decrees
And his executive orders.
Shrug off the monarchy
And oppressive hierarchy.
Fragment the plutocracies.
End the corporate collusion
And the military-industrial complex.
Eliminate government bureaucracy,
And truly know what it means to be free.
Cut the apron strings.
Stand on your own two feet.
Bite the hand that feeds.
Begin to fend for yourself,
And start to defend yourself
From the UN, World Bank and IMF.
Monsanto, MSNBC, BP, JP Morgan Chase,
HP, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Bank of America,
Lockheed & Martin, Google, Halliburton, Toyota,
Boeing, Associated Press, CNN, BBC, News Corp.,
Valero, Time Warner, Walmart, Target, Verizon,
AT&T, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, CVS, Exxon,
Chevron, Ford, GM, Shell, GE, Merck, Honda,
Bayer, Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson
Hyundai, McAfee, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac,
And the Federal Reserve don’t deserve
Someone as marvelous as you
To be their willing slave,
My dearest love.
Dam the source of your strife.
Denounce white-collar criminals
And mooching investment firms.
Free yourself from the leash
Of dependent subsidy leeches
And usury loans twisted by greed.
There are sharks in these waters
That’ll kill for an arm or a leg,
And the sunbathers along the shore
Are sleeping with their heads buried.
Society’s undertow is drowning you,
But the lifeguards are taking bribes
And have their camera phones aimed.
The coastguard is turning a blind eye,
‘Cause they’re getting favors from D.C.
To let the predators occasionally feed.
They need to fill the private prisons
And maintain good public relations
With their indispensable cronies.
It is disgusting.
We must eliminate these silly
Shallow superficial divisions
And prejudices and stereotypes
Of race, class, creed and gender,
Sexuality, nationality and temperament
Exploited by the Fascist establishment
And enforced by the likes of you and me.
We must not teach our children to hate.
We must not let dictators defeat us.
We must unite as one universe
Together in common defense
As an immovable monument
Of eternal vigilance against
A malevolent, unstoppable force.
Act locally; think globally.
Live to achieve your dreams.
Keep a well-trained militia
And keep yourself physically fit.
Connect with your community.
Control your means of survival.
Grow crops not lawns, and
Never purchase on credit.
Never allow the politicians
To disarm the innocent
Or subject us to duress.
Promote the organic scene
And animal liberation.
Keep the money circulating
Within your own town.
Be kind, polite and courteous.
Isn’t that what you want in return?
You must learn your inherent rights
And understand our natural liberty.
We need to inflate the food supply
And become self-sufficient
And live within our means.
But most of all,
Try your best.
It is our duty
To reconstruct
These crumbling cities
Which are degenerating
Into slums and ghettos
And sores on Earth’s arse
All around all of us.
These massive towers
And winding highways,
Once proud displays
Of human ingenuity
And determination,
Are now stifling cages
Of concrete and steel.
They’re sickly landfills
In dire need of repair.
No longer flourishing cradles
Of Human Civilization
Bright with opportunity
And limitless potential,
They must be rebuilt
In synergy with nature
Like they should have been
To begin with.
It is up to the few of us
To expand the use of clean energy
With wind, solar, water and biofuel,
To construct a sustainable society,
And produce a profitable future
For our grandchildren’s children.
Don’t leave them with our garbage.
Rediscover principled morality.
Propagate a functional culture.
End war, violence and torture.
Let there be Justice, friends.
Let it not be just us or them.
Help everyone meet their needs
When you can afford to spare a meal,
But don’t be reduced to a doormat.
Refuse to accept double standards.
We must practice civil disobedience
And constantly test our intelligence.
Push the borders of your comfort zone.
Act with a measured reluctance.
Defend our inalienable rights.
Impeach tyranny’s advocates
And evict draconian delegates
To find Peace and Liberty
No longer shy outcasts.
Respect the freedom of the living.
Exercise the privilege of humanity.
Be the change you wish to see.
Dissect the beliefs of your time.
Be critical of traditions and trends.
Hold individuality above conformity;
Never trade liberty for security.
Inspire greatness and achievement.
Guard our precious environment.
Love and protect your neighbors,
And help to raise up the inferior.
But it’s not necessary to carry
Their burden on your shoulders.
Your conduct is the whole of the law.
Inform everyone with what you know,
And make the effort to educate yourself.
You don’t ever have to be afraid of the truth.
For in truth, there is might and strength.
Every day is a mission of volition
To achieve your soul’s goals
And motivation.
You are only inches away
From reaching self-actualization,
But you have lost your identity
Under the weight of this nation.
And the repeated indoctrination
Has left you demoralized.
And your plasma television
Has frozen your imagination.
There is always time to repent
And to alter your course.
Open your eyes and see the light.
You don’t have to march with the crowd
Into hell to the rhythm of mob rule.
You never have to be a sacrifice –
A lamb to appease the “Greater Good”.
Don’t give them permission to rob you
Of your will, rights and property.
You don’t have to accept slavery
Or living in substandard conditions
In a substandard existence.
You can cast off the tyranny
Of a trained and accepted hypocrisy.
You can cast off the lead chains
Of cognitive dissonance,
And you can put in alignment
Your thoughts, speech and actions
And be sovereign like the rest of us
And help us craft a new civil model
Of benevolence and happiness.
But no one is forcing you to.
You just have to
Cut the apron strings,
Stand on your own two feet,
Bite the hand that feeds,
Begin fending for yourself,
And start defending yourself
From the UN, World Bank and IMF,
Monsanto, MSNBC, BP, JP Morgan Chase,
HP, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Bank of America,
Lockheed & Martin, Google, Halliburton, Toyota,
Boeing, Associated Press, CNN, BBC, News Corp.,
Valero, Time Warner, Walmart, Target, Verizon,
AT&T, IBM, Microsoft, Apple, CVS, Exxon,
Chevron, Ford, GM, Shell, GE, Merck, Honda,
Bayer, Berkshire Hathaway, Johnson & Johnson
Hyundai, McAfee, Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac,
And the Federal Reserve’s mercenaries.
These senseless tyrants don’t deserve
Someone as marvelous as you
To be their willing slave,
My dearest love.
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Island is more of a sensational poem meant to be enjoyed by those who are already trying to “cut the apron strings”. It is intended to offer a moment of relief and affirm the goals of those trying to escape the chains of this culture of dependency. It glorifies self-sufficiency and the homestead lifestyle, focusing not so much on the toil and labor as more the feeling of freedom, real security, and self-worth that is granted by relying on one’s own competence. The title is a reference to the novel of the same name by Aldous Huxley, but it is not much more than an emotive backdrop for my poem, not alluded to outside of a mention of the Mynah birds from the novel. In the end, this poem is more a celebration of a new beginning than the accomplishment of an end. Thank you for reading.
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Island
The sun rises
Over wide horizons,
Kissing our rested eyes
With soft, tranquil lips
Through the windowpane
Shrouded in a vine’s shade,
And the shadows cast by
Droplets on the stained glass
Do a shimmy, shake and dance
Across the plain, open face
Of our complex countenance.
It is our time to shine at last
With all of the angels and stars.
It is our time to take a stand
With our heads raised up high
And our feet firmly planted.
The primroses are blooming.
The air is warm and welcoming,
And the trees’ hips are swaying.
It’s a new day for you and me.
It may seem surreal,
But it is so real.
Can you believe it?
The gentle gesture
Of a silver zephyr
Stirs in the Spring leaves
Like fingers through your hair,
And it whispers in your ears.
It tells you: “You need not fear,
For Danger is nowhere near
When heaven is here.”
And heaven is here.
Though we are only
Just now beginning,
This is our Eden.
Where we’re at,
Peace is here to last.
We have all that we will ever need.
The gentle gesture
Of a silver zephyr
Stirs in the Spring leaves
Like fingers through your hair,
And it whispers in your ears.
It tells you: “You need not fear,
For Danger is nowhere near
When heaven is here.”
And heaven is here.
Though we are only
Just now beginning,
This is our Eden.
Where we’re at,
Peace is here to last.
We have all that we will ever need.
The aroma of a hot meal
Lingers thick in our home,
And the hens greet the morning
With the starlings’ singing
Their favorite symphony.
A party of butterflies
Flutter above the corn stalks,
And a lone calico cat stalks
Beneath the blueberry bushes,
Catching thieving mice and rats
Near the rice and cabbage patches.
Every exhilarating breath we take
Fans the flames in the engines of our hearts.
To think it all stems from a simple seed
And grows into this forest of orchards and reeds
To feed us and more is a mesmerizing thing.
Everywhere is a groovy sight to see,
And clouds hover above the apple trees.
Frogs hop from their pads into the pond.
Deer trot from here to there every now and then freely,
And the whole wide world is impassioned with sound.
Can you imagine all of the sublime joy we’ve found,
Encapsulating us in this little paradise
Constructed through our competence?
The gentle gesture
Of a silver zephyr
Stirs in the Spring leaves
Like fingers through your hair,
And it whispers in your ears.
It tells you: “You need not fear,
For Danger is nowhere near
When heaven is here.”
And heaven is here.
Though we’re only
Just now beginning,
This is our Eden.
Where we are at,
Peace is here to last.
We have all that we will ever need,
And today will always be our day.
A black cloud may come our way.
A heavy rain may fall on our parade.
An icy frost may settle in the valley.
An odd occasion may bear its ugly face,
But don’t let these things lay waste
To your spry hopes and dreams.
We’re prepared for the worst.
There’s no need to worry.
Just always remember
That sometimes
The sky needs to cry
To let the flowers grow.
Sometimes,
We all need to cry
And let our minds go
If only for a moment
To allow all of the snow
To melt away real soon,
Helping the rivers flow.
With the passage of time
And the warmth of hearts,
All of these prison walls
We built to fence us in
Will come crumbling down,
And all of our tender wounds
Eventually scab over
And heal.
I
Want to see you
Be happy.
I’ll
Build us
An oasis
On this
Galactic isle
With these weathered hands
And these fertile, cultivated lands.
With an open, educated mind
And honest, virtuous conduct,
We are incredible and invincible.
The unity of our character
Is our shield and armor.
Resonating in harmony
With goodwill protects us
From today’s many vampyres,
And all of our reformations make us
Impervious to yesterday’s skeletons.
With solidarity, justice and trust,
We are safe from tomorrow’s ghosts.
This freedom is our victory.
Our sorrow is empathy.
There is no shame.
There is no shame.
There is no shame.
We can all stand tall.
Stand tall! Stand tall!
Stand tall and proud!
Let it be heard loud
How you dare to be
A Human Being.
For now,
Let us enjoy
These beautiful moments,
Woven into a tapestry
From a raw reality,
While they last.
Let us be grateful
For our many blessings.
It is all so enchanting
And worth savoring.
The grape ripe on the vine
And the crop ready for harvest
Shimmers with success,
And all down the lines and rows
Of soy, tomatoes and potatoes
Is hard-pressed ingenuity
Bearing the fruits of our labor
And nature’s many favors.
This is what we are made for:
Strawberry fields forever
And bountiful Novembers.
Happiness is the glamour
Of autonomy and good fortune –
Our well-earned reward.
Satisfaction is the declaration
Of a self-fulfilling, honest living,
And there is no need to mourn.
For we have done all we can
To help everything survive.
In freedom, we are thriving,
And we are always striving
To do better – to do better.
To do better next time.
Next time.
Next time,
It’s our time
Now.
The gentle gesture
Of a silver zephyr
Stirs in the Spring leaves
Like fingers through your hair,
And it whispers in your ears.
It tells you: “You need not fear,
For Danger is nowhere near
When heaven is here.”
And heaven is here.
Though we are only
Just now beginning,
This is our Eden.
Where we’re at,
Peace is here to last.
We have all that we will ever need,
And today will always be our day.
Tomorrow will always be brighter
In every single possible way.
As morning turns to dusk
And the sun begins to set,
We’ll lounge in leisure,
Relaxing next to the fire.
We’ll reflect with pleasure
On this wild adventure
We are all experiencing.
There’s an entire world
For us to explore.
How can it be ignored?
Basking in the glory
Of pleasant memories,
We’ll laugh and smile
Free of anxiety,
And we’ll talk of the future
With imaginative caprice
For the present is conquered.
We have a solution to every problem.
We are limited only by our own wills,
And we are only just now beginning
To awaken to our full potential.
Listening to the Mynahs sing
Of the liberated and immortal,
We have cut the apron strings
And escaped the immoral coils.
We’re encapsulated in love forever,
Like two fireflies saved in amber.
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‘Cut the Apron String’ & ‘Island’ Original Poetry & Photography by Rutger B. Devon
http://rutgerbdevon.wordpress.com/
MEDIA ROOTS — October 3rd, 1970, Elvis Presley wrote the following letter to Richard Nixon:
After this fruitful meeting between the two men, Nixon sent a letter in response to Elvis:
