Who Will Guard?

 

—Poetry by Jean Jones, Wilmington, NC
—Artwork Courtesy of Public Domain

TWO WITCHES

One woman desires what I desire, and will do anything


and go anywhere to find it;


However, she is a liar and cannot tell me the truth—


She would do anything for me for money


and doesn't care what she has to do to satisfy me


The other woman has standards—She would prefer


not to do things with me unless she has to or wants to—

When she does, however, she is loving and giving;


not with her words, but with her actions to my body—


When I am with her, I find myself liberated.


Is it any surprise who I find myself drawn to,


or who I seek when I find myself alone?


One is an offspring to my desires—


She gives me what I want but lies—


The other liberates me every time I find myself with her—


Is it any surprise who I find myself drawn to?


One is loving and giving; not with her words


but with her actions to my body—


The other would do anything for me for money.


However, she is a liar, and cannot tell me the truth—


Is it any surprise who I find myself drawn to?


(prev. pub. in Aphelion, 2020)

 

 

 

 
WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?

"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes"


"Who will guard the guards themselves?"


Who watches the mob,


who watches the police,


the politicians, the mayors, the governors,


the President, the Congress, and the Supreme Court?


"Who will guard the guardians?"


Who destroys the statues

and the monuments,


who kills the children,


who kills the black men,


who brings the guilty to justice,


who stops the black on black crime,


who prevents the killing,


in the cities of this country?


"Who watches the watchers?"


When the mob takes power, when


“Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;


Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,


The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere


The ceremony of innocence is drowned;”1


Who watches the watchmen?

What are the three estates of the realm?

What is the fourth estate?

Who watches the fourth estate?

Who will guard the guards themselves?"

1: W. B. Yeats, "The Second Coming"

(prev. pub. in Aphelion, 2020)

 

 

 

 

A WALK WITH DANTE

I feel you are like Virgil


walking my soul


through my hell

pointing out the different levels


I have fallen into—
You show me the sign—


"Abandon hope,
all ye who enter here—”
You show me where I currently


live—In the second circle,


with Paolo and Francesca


blown back and forth


by the winds of passion—
I scream to you to


"Help me!"


You respond—


"You placed yourself there—


You can get yourself out—“
So I force myself down


from the winds,


with K, S, and D,


circling around
and I find myself


following you


as you take me to


the Ninth Circle—
where great Lucifer's


frozen wings and tears


freeze this ninth level of Hell—
You point to the place


where, if I go


past Lucifer,
I follow this comedy


to Heaven


where my wife


waits, if I wish to meet her
and when I ask


what happens if I don't


climb up, past frozen Lucifer?


You show me another place—


a place with Second-Century furniture;


"If you go there, you cannot come out,"


You warn, 

That is the place of "No Exit,

"
there you make your bed with


S, K, and D


and there, your hell


will be "other people,"

"Good luck with that."

(prev. pub. in Aphelion, 2020)

__________________

Today’s LittleNip:

There is no greater sorrow than to recall our times of joy in wretchedness.

—Dante Alighieri, Inferno

__________________

A hearty welcome to Jean Jones this morning, and a thank-you for his poetry! Time for me to brush up on my Inferno~

Originally from Bandung, Indonesia, Jean Jones received a BA in English in 1986 from UNC-Wilmington, and an MFA in Creative Writing: Poetry in 1988 from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. Jean currently teaches Basic Skills at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, North Carolina. He has had two books of poetry published by St. Andrews Press from St Andrews College, North Carolina; the most recent, Birds of Djakarta, was released in 2008. Together with his friend and fellow poet Scott Urban, Jean Jones has a brand-new book of poems published by a brand-new Wilmington, North Carolina publisher called Shaking Outta My Heart Press. Jean's book from that publisher is titled Tornado. Jean is also co-editor of the online poetry magazine, Word Salad.

Again, Jean, welcome, and don’t be a stranger!

__________________

—Medusa

 

 

 

 

 Jean Jones

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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