White Terrorist

Jim Crow wore a wide-brimmed, dust colored hat
as he rocked back and forth on a hot summer porch

When he saw the Feds coming, forcing his kids to
mix with blacks in Little Rock,

he aimed his rifle but did not shoot
Instead, he donned white in the night and had himself a hoot

II.
Years later, his son watched bodegas ‘deluge’ his town
while sharia threatened to become law of the land

“Where are ye, my white brothers?” he bellowed into the forlorn night
No one answered – they were working double shifts at Walmart

On the Internet, he penned manifestos that spoke of a flood of the black, brown and hijab
He, as Noah, would build a ship and save everyone

But no one was listening, at least not enough, he thought

He needed to make a mark, make a real difference
So he grabbed his automatic rifle and set off for deliverance

III.
The dead at the Little Rock unitarian church numbered in the
dozens, mostly children, white and brown.

The cops came, hovered but fired not a shot

From his prison cell, he reckoned he made his point,
he would not let the flood tear white America down

As a prolific author from the Boston area, Peter F. Crowley writes in various forms, including short fiction, op-eds, poetry and academic essays. In 2020, his poetry book Those Who Hold Up the Earth was published by Kelsay Books and received impressive reviews by Kirkus Review, the New Age and two local Boston-area newspapers. His writing can be found in Middle East Monitor, Znet, 34th Parallel, Pif Magazine, Galway Review, Digging the Fat, Adelaide’s Short Story and Poetry Award anthologies (finalist in both) and The Opiate. His books That Night and Other Stories (CAAB Publishing) and Empire’s End (Alien Buddha Press) were released during the week of Friday the 13th in October 2023. Read other articles by Peter F..