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      September 18, 2016In Dis Newfangled OzJoe Balaz

      Da candidate’s hair
      looked like da tail fins of wun ’57 Chevy
      as he orated his position
      wit tinsel and tingle
      promising to improve everyting
      including da empty refrigerator
      to da kitchen sink.
      Born wit wun king size
      silver spoon in his mouth
      and wun golden parachute
      before he even got on da plane
      da advantages of family wealth
      endowed him wit wun cushy platform.
      Amazingly
      his message of opportunity foa all
      wuz being swallowed down whole.
      It’s all about class
      and levels of influence
      dat truly shapes da strategy
      behind da big green curtain
      in dis newfangled Oz.
      Da wizard at da controls of da machine
      wit his peripheral eyes on da status quo
      has every intention
      to keep da rich and powerful on top
      while many below
      are being compressed like coal
      to feed da burning furnaces.
      It’s only wun campaign wish
      dat he would cater to da totem rather den da tower
      and take da time to really see
      all da faces beneath da penthouse view.

      from Poets Respond

      Joe Balaz

      “Earlier in my writing endeavors I had written a poem for a conference in Honolulu on Pidgin (Hawai’i Creole English) called ‘Da History of Pigeon.’ One of the people in the audience was a professor and writer from the United Kingdom. She contacted me later to acquire permission to publish the poem in her new book which dealt with different kinds of Creole languages. The book was eventually published in London, England. The unexpected reach and impact of poetry always fascinates me. This Hawaiian Island Pidgin poem relates to the intriguing campaign for the presidency of the United States of America. It uses satire to focus on one of the candidates that has presented himself as an outsider and agent of change.”

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