by Al Staggs

Slavery is out,

incarceration is in.

Lots of money to be made

from the slightest hint

of lawbreaking

especially if your skin

is black or brown.

Prisons are big business

just like cotton was years ago.

International Bonhoeffer Society Calls for Ending of the Trump Presidency - Current (currentpub.com)

The International Bonhoeffer Society is an organization of scholars who study the life and writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian who the Nazi’s hanged after learning of his role in a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler.

On January 15, 2020, the Society issued the following “Statement of Concern” regarding the presidency of Donald Trump:

As grateful recipients, and now custodians, of the theological, ethical, and political legacy of the German pastor-theologian and Nazi resister Dietrich Bonhoeffer, we believe all persons of faith and conscience should prayerfully consider whether our democracy can endure a second term under the presidency of Donald Trump. We believe it cannot.

THE MUTED JESUS

By Al Staggs

All throughout the Southland

Jesus has been muted.

Oh, the words of the Savior

are certainly in the Good Book,

but the true messages have been silenced

by pastors who are beholding,

beholding to plantation owners

who give big money to their churches

and one doesn’t mess with the gravy train

since the steeple, the organ, and pews

not to mention the parsonage

were all underwritten by the chief deacon,

the plantation owner.

GANGSTAS OF WALL STREET

by Al Staggs

Like drug lords of Mexico or Colombia

these titans of business

own huge estates,

private jets and

priceless works of art.

Yet, unlike the drug czars,

they are not committing crimes,

for all that they have amassed

has been obtained legally

through our system of Capitalistic Enterprise

which rewards the richest

at the expense of everyone else.

QUIET VIOLENCE

By Al Staggs

Structures of gross inequality

push their weight against our citizens.

Freedom is only a word, not a reality.

Capitalism is holding liberty hostage.

Lower our flags to half mast,

for symbolism without substance

is a farce and a tragedy.

A Light down the Road

by Al Staggs

Life is like a long, long trip

over a winding road.

We walk in the direction of light,

LESSONS FROM A FUNERAL HOME

by Al Staggs

Like actors in a play,

we perform our roles

until our script is complete.

By Al Staggs

MANY, BOTH RICH AND POOR

MAY VERY WELL BELIEVE

THAT THE WAY THINGS ARE, ECONOMICALLY,

IN THE UNITED STATES,

IS JUST WHAT GOD INTENDED.

By Al Staggs

As the chaplain on duty for rape victims,

I encountered this young woman in her late teens,

her face and limbs exhibited severe physical abuse,

her body language exuded shame, fear and trauma.

Liturgy of Life (LOL)

Worship, theology, lifestyle,

politics, economics

are all connected,

they are joined together

in relation to faith.