“Tell all the truth
But tell it slant.”
— Emily Dickinson
George Carlin’s dead!
He was a funny guy.
He’d take a truth and dance with it.
The truth was like a big rag doll.
It could be bent.
It would fall down.
He’d hold it up and pirouette.
George Carlin was on a rant.
He’d rant about the government.
He’d show the stupid grin behind
Tyranny spying on its drones.
He’d show a people
Stewing in their fear.
It was funny —
The way nightmares are funny.
George Carlin, the murderer, is dead.
He was a dangerous man.
He’d walk around with his machete swinging.
He’d macerate myths and propaganda.
You’d never know where or when he’d strike.
“I have only one life to give for my country.”
Crap!
We keep killing the same fools over and over.
We raise them to kill and be killed.
Whack!
“Government of the people, by the people
And for the people –”
Whack!
“– Shall not perish from the earth.”
Whack! Whack! Whack!
He carved it into a pretty dish.
He served it with a lot of salt.
“This is the war to end all wars!”
Whack! Whack-whack-whack!
He stood it on its big fat head.
All its shiny coins fell out.
Blood skirled over the coins.
“The only thing we have to fear –”
Whack!
“– Is fear itself.”
Whack! Whack! Whack-whack-whack!
There was nothing to fear about fear.
We could figure that out ourselves.
There was everything else to alert ourselves to–
Especially lies from those who said
We had nothing to fear but fear.
“We the People”
Whack!
“–In order to form a more perfect government …”
Whack!
Government’s always imperfect–
It deals with human beings.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident …”
Whack!
Truth is never self-evident.
It wears a thousand transforming masks.
Reverend Carlin’s dead.
He ministered to our wounds.
He applied the balm of love and laughter.
He walked us up to the Kingdom of Light.
He dared we make ourselves free to enter.
He left smiling.