5/15/2021

My dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,

            Why no photos from yesterday’s visit with those 6 DACA kids? Were you trying to protect their identities so they wouldn’t be harassed? While I get that logic, you could have at least taken a selfie with Jirayut “New” Latthivongskorn. As you know, he’s been “out” as undocumented since 2012 when he applied to med school. I think it’s wonderful that he is eager to attend to the public health of his community. Sadly, MO Gov. Mike Parson is not so inclined, just having refused to pay for the Medicaid expansion that the voters of his state approved last fall. I suspect his days in office are numbered.

            I read in the NYT today that you have a short fuse & have been known to “snap.” That reminds me of my dad. He used to clench his jaw & take in a breath while the V-shaped veins in his forehead would pop out during arguments at the dinner table. Near his death he confided that his anger was his biggest enemy. I didn’t experience that many outbursts, but they often came when we were talking politics. He wasn’t the only one who would explode & stomp off. I’m grateful that you rarely do that in public.

            I just found out that the Burmese junta has killed several poets. I worry that Palestinian poets are in danger, too. Brutal oppressors tend to silence dissent however they can. Franco’s men killed Federico Garcia Lorca (FGL) back in the day, & yet, as he wrote, “his blood came out singing” as his poems became more popular than ever. FGL was what my daughter would call “Extra,” described by Pablo Neruda as having, “grace and genius, a winged heart and a crystalline waterfall.” He voiced the hopes of the youth when their newly elected government worked to reign in the military & end the tyranny of the Catholic church.  Franco put a quick stop to that movement & his iron fist lasted for 36 years. I hope the Myanmar generals & Bibi don’t last that long.

            May you find some inspiring poetry in your day,