THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD

My Vooman’s Voice has been rather quiet lately as I was going through eye surgery and couldn’t see my computer, but on the 29th of Feb, I went to North Beach and participated in THE WORLD POETY MOVEMENT. Jack Hirschman helped organize this group and also the Revolutionary Poets Brigade. He read off a list of countries who were also participating, I think there were thirty-three, who were also taking THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD. The arcane that Jack Hirschman read was very humorous and an inspiration. Other readers were Sharon Doubiago, Agneta Falk, Bobby Colemen, Dottie Pane, Jessica Loos and many, many more.
When I saw Jerry, the owner of the Beat Museum, I was with Sharon and I said, “We are world class poets,direct me to were THE GREAT LEAP FORWARD is happening. I’m read to leap.” He gave me a thumb’s up to upstairs.
I read two poem at the Beat Museum and one later that night at Art International. We had a great time and I leaped around quite a bit, even on the dance floor, later. That last glass of wine was a little over filled and went right to my feet,…but…never the less. And, I always thought leap year day was when a woman could ask a man to marry.
I am part of The Revolutionary Poets Brigade. I said, “I don’t know if Jack knows that on my lips, Revolutionary Poets Brigade, comes out as a laugh line.” After hearing his arcane, I decided he must know it has a humorous ring, at least for me.
When one of my coffee buddies ask me what I was going to do the next day I said, "After you have made a great leap forward, you don't have to do anything the next day."
I forgot to mention we had a singer, Jimmy Bryon, who sang a beautiful song about Freedom. It had such an unusual music composition, I thought it was beautiful. On his second song he striped, sang and played in the nude. Someone call out, "So what. I see that every morning." I said, "Hold on, that's you. I haven't see any up close for two or three years." I was a little worried about dangling things getting caught in the guitar strings. Jimmy is a very talented writing and musician. I had a camera and didn't even get a picture.


FOR THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE

What happened to For The People by the People?
The people were not watching
When freedoms were taken away
When Congress became
For The Congress by Congress
With no regard for future generations
Who could never foot the bill for selfish pensions
Or bridges to nowhere
Older Congressman we thought we could trust
We found out had only learned
How to cheat the people?
Vote for Pork Barrel spending?
Assist Corporations to buy lobbies?
Change laws in their own favor?
Use inside information to buy stock?
The people where asleep or too trusting
Things had been going well
There was money to spend
They had saving for retirement
They paid no attention when wages
Went higher and higher for the bosses
Bigger and bigger pensions and huge bonuses for
Unions Stewards, CEO and Bank exclusivities
The people were asleep when their wages were taken
And gambled on stock opptions
With not even a choice of where the money went
And the jobs slowly slid away
To other countries, to cheaper wages
Not that these company did the right thing
It was for The Company by The Company
They were only taking advance
Of the poor from other countries

How can lost freedoms be returned?
It took year of the slipping and sliding
Of our lawmakers to get us into this mess
Somehow, everybody thought
It would happen later, much later
They would long be dead
But it’s happening now
The figures never did add up
For the future generations

Wake up people. You are the people
Be FOR THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE
It is you, your children, your grandchildren
Let us all fight this take over
Let’s fight for our freedoms
Let’s get rid of laws against our freedoms
In Government, in states, in courts,
In cities, counties and prisons
Get rid of those who vote away your freedoms
And tax our paycheck to zero
Be ever vigilant and alert to corruption within
Corruption in high places
Corruption within the law
Corrupt money made at your expense
Be aware of the greed, the lies, the theft, the fraud
Take hold of your power
Let your vote speak, your ears hear
Your eyes be ever watchful
Your mouth protest
Don’t let the game be YOU
…Linda King 2/26/12




BANKS AND THE AMERICAN DREAM

When I divorced in 1970
I couldn’t get a credit card
Even though I had $20,000
In the bank from an inheritance
I was a woman
All credit had been
In my husband’s name
Finally a card company, First Card
Took a chance on me

Then came the years
Where every bank
Wanted everyone to have
Their credit cards
And we all paid off one card
To get another with cheaper interest
At least for 6 months
6 months here, 6 months there
You could buy a house
If you had a down payment
Banks were already
Earning enough interest
But got more and more greedy
They didn’t just want just interest
But compound interest by the day
Always taking their money first
They didn’t want customers
They wanted slaves to the bank
Possibly lifetime slaves
7% become 10%
Even up to 25% on credit cards
Until you were paying
More in interest on the house or card
Than the price of the house or money taken

And getting even more greedy
Banks along with the mortgage companies
Began approving houses for people
They knew couldn’t make the payment
Let alone the balloon payment
Due in two or three years
And then, there was the refinancing
With a $5000 fee, wizards at work
And the buy-downs and paperwork
That was half and inch thick

The normal man didn’t try to understand
He just signed and signed and signed
What did he care he had nothing anyway
So how could he loose anything?

The banks and the mortgage companies
And the Insurance companies
Schemed together to make big, easy money
For the loans were guaranteed by the government
Each house needed insurance
Flood, fire, earthquake, disaster
Insurance was made mandatory
Of course, they paid Lobbyist
After all, aren’t we all
Working on the American Dream

When you had to walked away
From a house you have been
Paying on for twenty years, but never owned
Your $30,000 home changed to $59.000
And $59.000 to $83,000
And $83,000 to $135,000
It could have been $280,000
Mortgage appraised and bank stamped
I was just not as greed as the banks
who took billions and then trillions in bailout

We knew, we all got into GREED
Just like the banks…why not?
Just like our politicians, stockbrokers,
Like healthcare, unions, corporations
The city, the state, the courts, policemen
Doctors, dentist, drug companies, hospitals
You name it…Capitalism running amok
To any country, to any people
Who would take lower wages
And give corporations lower taxes
It’s the America way

And like the banks
I, too, wanted my share
I could use their money to make some money
I was getting older, my SS check tiny
So, now, when the collectors call
Telling me what I owe
On my lost house, now in foreclosure
And my flood insurance in the rear
Home insurance tacked onto my equity loan
Double/triple, plus late fees over late fees
That can never be stopped
Everything doubled and compounded
What can I say, I’ve been deregulated
Money has lost its value
The Bank wouldn’t talk to me
Now I won’t talk to them
As they juggle my payment
From Washington Mutual to Chase
From Countrywide Mtg. to Bank of America

When they do get me one the phone
Being kindly, I say to my collector
“My dear, if I were to pay
All of those bills and charges
You are asking me to pay
You, Darling, would be out of a job
Employment is, sorely, needed
In America right now. Thank you.”
And I hang up and don’t answer again

THIS from a woman
Was never late until 2008
Even with the unreasonableness of
Flood insurance for Phoenix Arizona…Ha!
Who can afford to file bankruptcy? Not me
…Linda King 2/2011


After the reading, one man praised my poems highly saying I should read them on the radio as it was one of the best summing up of what had actually happened that he had ever heard. After talking to my sister about her husbands cancer I read my old poem NEMO at night.