I knew for a very long time that Victor Borge's piece would be about the militaristic state of America and the danger of corruption within the police force. I've been writing about injustices for so long now it's numbing to see no changes whatsoever in this racist country, filled with lies and hypocrisy. After the death of George Floyd, like so many others, I was filled with rage. I re-entered this poem to vent some of my anger. I had been knocking around "u n i form uniform" in my head for years before this moment, but it became clear the movement of this moment in time had to be here.
&I'm sure some people will be shocked by this poem because of the leaps it makes, but people need to make great leaps and strides if we are to change the fate of this country. People wonder how on Earth the Holocaust could have happened, but it wasn't as sudden as most people believe. The police brutality that has become a part of American life is because of the segregated system that has created this militia and its incarceration prisons of death. A fascist government needs fear to grow, but it also needs to suppress education and control the information that is fed to its citizens.
&We're living with a president who is not only building the wall of the souther border, but he (and all of the current administration) are building up all the walls people I know fought to tear down in the 60s. Seems no one ever seen Pink Floyd's The Wall. The police tactics are working, because I have hit a wall here. This poem is wall of text, and its words are begging for no more, for things to stop, à la Gilda Radner's muppoem in Volume 3: Red Fire. I am aware of the Empire that I live in, but it's difficult to accept it. People lie because the truth is not easy, but I know we are all strong enough to handle it. Who will be the one in a position of power to finally start speaking it though? We are living amongst Neo-Nazis, and the police force that is suppose to protect us, is killing us, the US. The countless deaths of black people by the state clearly demonstrates the systemic racism it is a part of. There are plenty of books warning the U.S. about its danger towards becoming the exact thing it claims it is not. I am a poet, not a lecturer. Justice is the priority right now. Next is education.
&Here is an effective msn article on the issue... I need to step off my soap box before I have an ulcer. I must return to my Muses who give me hope. If you aren't with me yet on what this rainbow-connection collection is all about, get in line, but to those that still believe in my work, here are a few notes:
&The opening number to this episode is of The Village People's "Macho Men." It's one of the gay anthems, and this performance cleverly blends its flamboyancy with satire on these testosterone-injected narcissists who have no clue how to listen. Link Hogthrob is the star, which is perfect, and he calls to mind the recurring sketch "Bear on Patrol." No coincidence, Fozzie does come onto the scene of the crime in uniform.
&As Naomi Wolf writes in her Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot: "the violence of orchestrated gangs, just like their sophistication, tends to escalate over time as well. In Germany, after World War I, political parties allied themselves with armed, uniformed paramilitary groups. Their task was to march, harass members opposing groups, and beat them— sometimes to kill them."
&The city backdrop to this number made me remember the Muppet, Floyd Pepper (named after Pink Floyd) and his poignant rendition of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," performed in another episode with the same set. This then made me think of his other performance of "Blackbird" off the same White Album. I adore Jerry Nelson, and I know those two performance came straight from his heart. It is with that same heart that I make the reference, but Floyd is the only word to be capitalized throughout to be clear the context of the poem references George Floyd, and the family's need and right for justice.
&The second set of italics within this piece is something a friend shared with me before passing on from this world. He's been on my mind so much lately, and I used it because I found it was the only way I could pull together my poem's rant. This episode features Bobby Benson's Baby Band. They have always cracked me up into hysterics, but that's the joy of cartoons and puppetry... you can get away with a lot more. In reality, just like Marvin Suggs, it's not okay what Bobby does to his babies. Can babies be born bad? People are victims of circumstance, and I think some are more susceptible to be trained to be monsters. Yes, please, DEFUND THE POLICE. This militaristic training needs to end, and all money and energy must be put towards education.
&The final number has Borge performing Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 1," interspersed with a few standards. The one I didn't pick up on was of the "Colonel Bogey March." This song was used during WWII to mock the Nazis. Victor Borge, the Great Dane, was well known to make fun of Hitler. He was a Holocaust survivor.
&Now, nothing can compare to the horror of the Holocaust, yet also, nothing can compare to this country's crimes against humanity with the Native American genocide and Atlantic slave trade. Many people believe that the criminal acts of the Nazis was not due to racism because Jews are not a race, and that the Anti-Semitism prejudice comes from religion. I learned in school that this is not technically true because race is a political category. It is a belief system that led to all the atrocities that happened. From the National Socialists (Nazis) to the American Neo Nazis, a person is a Jew because of his/her race. Is it the same as what Blacks are dealing with now? No. But you can draw parallels that deserve conversation. Hitler believed all the human race could be divided by race, and they viewed Jews as one which was weak and inferior. If Neo Nazis who support Trump, the commander of armed forces, then this country is certainly in serious danger, and until the armed forces stop receiving amnesty and are persecuted and punished for their crimes, then this country will not make it. There needs to be someone in power who addresses the racist crimes of the U.S., and then help dismantle the system in order to reassemble it to match the country's ideals.
&You will notice in the final number that Borge's grand piano is a Bösendorfer. In my poem, I reference Steinway & Sons. That is the brand of grand piano that rests in the White House. I truly cannot imagine anyone using it. There is no music coming from the White House right now. Why has music, art, and poetry been stripped away from American eyes in exchange for nullifying mind-controlling media? Human rights will not be sacrificed for the 'safety' of a militant state, because all that offers is danger and death. I think Americans are the most fearful and unhappy that they have ever been before. In this episode, Miss Piggy references The Sound of Music, and in that film, the von Trapps sing "Eldelweiss" as a sign of patriotism and loyalty to their country, despite the fact that they disagree with Nazism. I guess, in the movie in my head, I sing "Rainbow Connection" to show my devotion to America, despite being so vehemently against its war on human rights, and I intend to keep singing it until freedom of speech is taken away from us, though I honestly don't know how much longer I can live here.
