A.C. Perri

BEDDING ENEMIES

You once led an army, bled them,
Used them till they no longer served
Your purpose.

You once led a nation, spirited,
Willing to do almost everything
Until that too came undone.

You once promised us a future,
One secured with wealth and
All things golden, we got pewter instead.

You once swore to allegiance,
Watch you cross your heart
Did you cross your fingers behind our backs?

You once walked our paths,
Said you were one of us
Were they all just lies?

You once led an army, bled them
Dry, skinned their flesh for your
Own bed, how do you sleep at night?!


Gerald So's YouTube reading of "Bedding Enemies"


A.C. confesses: "This poem was inspired by dire images flashing across screens, in particular, the so-called leaders who promise so much, yet deliver so little; leaving most of us wondering what the $#@!."

A.C. PERRI has been writing creative works for over three decades; her works have been published in local and international journals including Bootleg Magazine, Gems Zine, Brilliant Flash, and several Moonstone Press titles.

A.C. Perri

THE MAKING OF A SOLDIER

Passionately stubborn,
Spoke your mind like you were
Born to, while others remained
Silent; not that you wanted to—
You had to; watched the earth
Turn in the opposite direction,
The blue above to crimson—
For what? A system that died?
Your voice, strong, carried
A song, named Freedom;
Liberty was castrated, equality
vanquished; it seems overnight,
The world was caught, you
The victim, the scapegoat, a
Prisoner, the escape artist—
And, they clipped your wings;
You saw the unjust, couldn’t
Stand for it— Your mind, a
Fortress, every ounce of Spirit
You had, you fought them;
Life, like vinegar and oil, turmoil
Your home, a beautiful, dismal contradiction;
Your thoughts and theirs on
Separate ends of the spectrum,
Yet, you charged straight ahead
On a steed called Determination,
Used words as spears aimed
Straight for the enemy; your
Words made a difference, you
Showed them… a good poet
Makes the best soldier.


Gerald So's YouTube reading of "The Making of a Soldier"


A.C. confesses: "The current malaise inspired the words to Making of a Soldier; English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton wrote: The pen is mightier than the sword, the words were included in his 1839 play Richelieu, or the Conspiracy. I believe words have power over any given physical force, at any given moment."

A.C. PERRI has been writing creative works for over three decades; her works have been published in local and international journals including Bootleg Magazine, Gems Zine, Brilliant Flash, and several Moonstone Press titles.