I've spent much of this weekend following news of what happened in Charlottesville when a group of terrorists showed up with weapons and lit torches, obviously intent on intimidating those who saw and heard them. They said they came to peaceably protest the removal of a confederate monument, a statue of a long-dead war criminal. They said they were protected by the First Amendment and they were, but so were those who showed up to counter their protest, to call them what they are - racist neanderthals with a racist neanderthal agenda. These peaceable racists showed their true colors (pun inevitable) when they were challenged and responded to the challenge in violence that resulted in multiple deaths and injuries. And isn't that the earmark of ruthless tyrants and playground bullies alike? They can't say their peace rationally, using words, so they turn their self-righteous, self-interested rage into blood and destruction. I've been watching the protests and counter protests, the vigils and the politicians' photo ops. I've been asking myself what I can do that matters. It isn't much, but I can use my blog and my voice to set things right. I am, among other things, a poet. I like haiku, so I've written one.
Now, I invite you to do the same. Let's fill this page with haiku that let the bigots know we will not stand by, mute, as they try to destroy what remains of democracy. Send your haiku to me at StephanieMesler@gmail.com. If it fits the parameters laid out here, I'll share it on this page.
1. Must be an actual haiku by some well-known definition.
2. Must respond to the events in Charlottesville.
3. Must not be PRO- racist.
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