The Other Side

 

 

Always another side:

Can we agree on this?

Else there’s something fundamental

We have missed.

 

Two sides to a story;

At the very least

And of course, there is the truth

That can never cease.

 

In the prequel to this:

“Panic Setting In”,

I presented the Democrat’s side

In the midst of the din.

 

A tumult it was

As the Democrats reflected

On what was a colossal loss

They least expected.

 

The end of the world-

Democrats’ world at least,

For the mesmerizing Beauty

Was taken by the Beast.

 

 

 

In the Democrat’s view

But not Republicans;

No, this was a time for rejoicing

For all Trump fans.

 

Not the end of the world

But a beginning

And in the days and years ahead

They will be singing.

 

Illegal immigrants!

The border will be closed,

No longer will they come across

Unopposed.

 

And those now there

Will be deported

Of course, unless they can show

“Document supported”.

 

The wars will end:

At least Russia and Ukraine

And this action will be achieved

In Donald Trump’s name.

 

The economy will be fixed

As it was in twenty-sixteen,

After all, unlike the intervening years,

Trump is on the scene.

 

 

 

America will be great,

Greater than ever before

And all because Trump run things

The country will soar.

 

Soar like the eagle

High up in the air

Such that America’s enemies

Will tremble with fear.

 

None would dare oppose

Or contradict

And Trump will be supported

By poor and rich.

 

For power is right

And the right to enforce

All that is great for America

Of course!

 

Thus, the other side

Of the same coin, indeed,

And when the narrative unfolds,

Same channel same feed!

 

They know their own

And are known by them

And when in bed together

It’s not a problem.

 

The pawns will quarrel

And become concerned

Knowing as collateral damage

They will get burn. 

 

But the proverbial cat

Will land on its feet

Once President Donald Trump

Has the White House seat.

 

As in “Panic Setting In”

Let me again state

What has been my position

Long before here of late.

 

I am neither Republican

Nor Democrat

But just one trying to decipher

Between opinion and fact.

 

Stewart Russell © November 14, 2024

 

Satellites of None

“Friends of all,

Satellites of none”

Admonished Prime Minister Errol Barrow

When this country he had run.

 

Then, it had the ability

To punch above its weight

But this has been called into question

Only here of late.

 

“Friends of all!”

Nothing’s wrong with this

But we must take care whom we join

And with whom we enlist.

 

One country is up in arms

With the very mighty USA

Presumably because its Government

Has contravened the US way.

 

Refusing to recognize

A particular same sex union

It has brought on itself

A colossal problem.

 

America has shown

It is the World’s big bully

Disrespecting the laws of others

As well as their sovereignty.

 

Well, power is might

And this is nothing new,

Developing states must conform

And pay what is due.

 

This US love affair

Has been going on for a while

Even though it appears to me

It is only for style...

 

To make the US look good

Especially in the Caribbean

But the truth be told,

It is all a dream.

 

 

From the Basin Initiative

With its unstoppable hole

All through the Obama presidency

We saw US deceit unfold.

 

A regular intervenor

In local domestic disputes,

That America assumes the big brother,

One cannot dispute.

 

Like the impudent child

Scowling and red in the face

America is telling someone’s diplomats

To leave its place.

 

No extension of contracts

Thus, when the time expires they must go,

This is big bully’s reaction

To a Caribbean country we know.

 

“Satellites of none!”

The great Errol Barrow declared,

It does not matter their size

We must not bow in fear.

 

Giving up one’s sovereignty

Is like giving up one’s birthright,

The right to self-government

Disappears in the night.

 

For indeed, it is night

When one’s freedom is taken,

Especially a sovereign country

That wilts when threatened.

 

America does not care

And her agenda is not hidden,

To allow her absolute control

Must be strictly forbidden.

 

Oh, wretched people we are

When we simply capitulate,

In this ocean of combative bullies

We become only shark bait.

 

Stewart Russell © July 29, 2023

Not He

 

 

“Not he” is a regular response

We hear from day to day,

I will identify two customary scenarios

When “not he” you’d hear people say.

 

The first relates to the negative

As in the case of committing a crime,

“Not he,” you are likely to hear

From a loved-one of some kind.

 

The second will follow the first

I trust you don’t miss the switch,

I am sure if you read very carefully

It’ll happen without a hitch.

 

“I know he father and he mother,

I know he brothers and sisters too

And I would put my neck to the block,

That crime he would never do.”

 

He come up in Sunday school

And he went to school with me,

I tell you sincerely from my heart

No way at no time; “not he!”

 

I can vouch for him, I tell you,

Cause I know him for many a year

So, don’t you scandalize his name,

Don’t you dare!

“Not he,” I am telling you

He would never do anything like that

So, whoever you hear running talk,

Tell them they are talking crap.

 

Cause you know someone that knows

And he told you definitely “not he”,

And, if that doesn’t satisfy them

Tell them to come and talk to me.

 

Tell them I would set them straight

Regarding who they talking ‘bout,

He would never do what they say he do,

“Not he,” without a doubt.

 

“I didn’t know he was that bright

I never got that impression!

What is it that you say he achieved?

“Not he,” is still my submission.

 

Why, he only went to a low school

And he left there at an early age

So, what you are telling me is impossible,

“Not he!” now or at any stage.

 

 

I bet you he got it from in the USA

Where degrees can be gotten for a fee

Such that if that is how he got his

I could take back my “not he”.

 

But, and I am only saying but,

If he achieved it by dint of study

That would still be highly suspicious

And I would still advance, “not he”.

 

He just doesn’t have what it takes

Whether by a fee or through study,

So, my position remains the same:

I am adamantly saying, “Not he!”

 

Two scenarios I have advanced:

One negative and the other a positive

Where the phrase “not he” was used

Concerning what a person did.

 

We hold perceptions of persons

That we are reluctant to ever change

And when they differ from our expectations

We think, “That’s rather strange!”

 

Whether negative or even positive

The “not he” comes into play,

It could be a crime or some achievement:

“Not he!” someone would likely say.

 

Stewart Russell © June 8, 2022

 

How Do You Know?

 

 

How do you know for sure?

But you took a side

And you argued vehemently

That the other person lied.

 

You stuck your neck out

And put your head to the block

That one was telling the truth

And the other was not.

 

And your contention was

You heard it on the news

And there was lots of evidence

Given all the reviews.

 

 

Your news source was reliable

But the other source was not,

Yours came via CNN

And theirs came from Fox.

 

Not to mention YouTube channel

Where there were lots of hits,

So, there is no possible way

Your news could have been fixed.

 

People don’t like your choice

And want to pull him down

But the real truth is

The other candidate is a clown.

 

But how do you know for sure

Which one is telling the truth?

As far as I can see

Neither of you has any proof.

 

 

You live here in Barbados,

You don’t live overseas

But you are going at each other

Like two uninformed lackeys.

 

What about the local situation?

This should be within your scope

But even in this case

This is like “Murder She Wrote”.

 

None of us is really sure

 Concerning what to believe,

What we think is the truth

Might be an attempt to deceive.

 

Let us not become enemies

Because of one’s political choice

But in the interests of our country

Let us speak with one voice.

 

One voice concerning justice

One voice concerning equal rights,

One voice concerning God’s Word

And doing so with all our might.

 

 

One truth of which we can be sure

Is the infallible Word of God,

Around it we can rally

With no chance of being defraud.

 

So, be it Trump or Biden

Be it our Government or Opposition,

At the end of the day let’s remember

We are all in this position.

 

Trapped by our leaders’ decisions

Let’s earnestly pray for them

And trust that they look to God

To help resolve our problems.

 

That they remember their oath

When they stood before the G.G.

And promised to do their best

And to act responsibly.

 

That they understand servanthood

That the people are their boss

And they will have to give an account

For whatever is gained or lost.

 

And that five years is not forever

Even if they tend to forget,

And that the next scheduled elections

Could be the cause of much regret.

 

Stewart Russell © August 2020

The Vaccine

 

 

Almost two-thirds into 2020

Way in above our heads,

Corona virus came a knocking

“Hundreds of thousands” dead.

 

Struggling for a vaccine

In the shortest possible time

The race is on in many countries:

Trying to be the first to find.

 

Ordinarily it would take a while

Like five to seven years

But in just a matter of months

Vaccines suddenly appear.

 

 

Russia and China and others

And most recently the USA

That said it was not possible

Yet they have one today.

 

Other countries were criticized

For circumventing the process

But the mighty US of A

Is already running tests.

 

Clearly, they must be ahead

In any vaccine race

And given the billions to be accrued

All others must be outpaced.

 

It will take billions to process

But the profits will be great

So, the first authentic vaccine

Must be from the United States.

 

 

After all, they have the best:

The best of everything

And at the end of the competition,

Their praises we must sing.

 

The best scientists and doctors

And the best leaders also,

And when they produce the vaccine

The whole world will know.

 

All else will be a sham and a fake

Only one vaccine will work,

It must come from the USA:

The land of the greatest experts.

 

The vaccine is almost here,

It is coming in record time

And Corona virus will be no more

At least, for the first to get in line.

 

After all, 7 billion is a lot

First come must be served first

And those who have no means,

That would be their curse.

 

 

Watch out for the vaccine

It’s coming to a clinic near you,

That is if you matter, though,

Don’t worry; that’s just my view.

 

The vaccine may have originated

The same time as the virus

But since I am a conspiracy theorist

In me don’t put your trust.

 

When next you get a virus

Make sure you get the vaccine

I do not think it is too far away

Before we reach that scene.

 

Stewart Russell © August 2020

 

Surreal

Is it happening to you?

Well, it’s happening to me,

Stay with me a while

And what I mean, you will see.

Life has become a dream

Well, more like a nightmare,

It is likely to get worse

And this is what I fear.

If back in October 2019

Someone had predicted this,

I would have accused that person

Of being a societal risk.

But now it is a reality

Though not a desirable deal,

Whether dream or nightmare,

It is in fact surreal.

Surreal is not a dream

But something that is real,

Just like all we are experiencing;

This is the real deal.

Tell me the number of times

That you have pinched yourself,

Even at times wondering,

Am I in the best of health?

It is indeed surreal

The times we are living in

And we wonder incessantly

What the next day will bring.

It has not been like this

For more than a hundred years

And even on that occasion

It was not a global affair.

  

Back then it was localized

Nothing like the present,

In this, the twenty-first century

Is an unprecedented event.

Scarcely a country is untouched

Neither the little nor great

And in fact, the bigger countries

Appear in a sorrier state.

Take the US of A for example

With what they are going through,

I thought they would lead the way

But they don’t have a clue.

And the UK as well

Their numbers are in the air

And in many cases like the US

Some still don’t seem to care.

The Caribbean is doing well

Compared to the wider world,

Contact tracing is working for us

While in the US it never occurred.

Some considered it a waste of time

But by then maybe it was,

Too many were then infected

And vaccine became the buzz.

There is something strange,

I can’t put my finger on it

But I am going to leave it at surreal

And with that I will quit.

Yea, but this is really surreal

A dream, no, more like a nightmare,

And I tell you, paranoid or not,

Some people are very scared.

Surreal is so real

Not a dream or nightmare but surreal.

Stewart Russell © May 2020