Blood in, blood out..
Blood in, Blood out..
Little boys and girls grow up and become men and women. They were raised watching war, violence and hate. What did we teach them? What did we leave behind for them?
Religion, color and race won’t mean a dime when all that is good is gone. Who is crying for the cities being burned down in USA? Who will pay for the people who lost their livelihood? To rebuilt again.
Who are these people? Who can destroy without mercy? Brother/sisters destroying their brothers/sisters businesses in many places in this USA. Violence recoup more violence. Sending soldiers to stop riots. Soldiers are trained to fight, not to separate. George Floyd is martyrs create by violence. His brother asked, please don’t destroy the cities. Blood in, Blood out. Just make the sky and river bleed the blood of the innocent.
Little boys and girls grow up and and the children are watching us. Watching their world being destroyed by looters and thieves. They learn the darkness of men before learning to love, dance and sing. Violence and hate, my friend. Man’s great sin. We must heal/not kill or destroy.
We must remember George Floyd and the many injustices being done in our world. Peaceful demonstration. Like the great man Martin Luther King Jr. once told us. I dream one day where all people can walk hand and hand and stand for peace, equality and human rights.
Little boys and girls are playing in the park today. They don’t see color, race or question religion. Just children loving the sun and the long day. Today violence is alive and well. If we don’t attempt to stop violence and hate, war will find you. You will watch our cities burn down and hate grow.
Time to fix this problem. Stand together in peaceful demonstrations. Mass demonstrations make the government learn. We the people, we won’t accept violence and hate. Let’s honor George Floyd with create change. Not destroying the cities we live in, we shop in and the places we live.
Time for all people to stand as one. One earth and one people.
Coyote/John Castellenas
Bam! Nailed it !
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This text is a powerful reflection on the consequences of systemic violence, societal neglect, and moral decay. It criticizes how societal structures fail children, how identity politics distract from deeper human issues, and how the cost of civil unrest is often paid by the most vulnerable.
It functions as both a lament and a call to conscience—asking not just what went wrong, but what we’re willing to do about it.
It’s a wake up call John!
Thank you!
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https://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/inhalt_grammar.htm
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You start with a general, present-tense statement about children growing up (an ongoing process). Then, you immediately shift to the past tense (“were raised”) to describe the upbringing of “They.” This implies that the “They” who “were raised” are potentially a different group whose childhood is entirely in the past, or that the “growing up” phase mentioned in the first sentence is also being considered as a past event for this specific “They.”
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Welcome to stream of consciousness.. a literary device… the author does this well… don’t you think?
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nope. Toni Morrison, Virginia Woolf, and James Joyce all employ stream of consciousness. I’m not an enabler. I will be doing this writer disservice by pretending he can write. This is just plain horrible and sloppy writing.
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Interesting take. You are aware of voice … correct? And purpose? Unless the author asked to be hemmed in with the grammatical conventions that you are espousing, you might find yourself over-stepping here a little. Unless you are aware of the goals of this writer, then you can’t really administer correction appropriately. Please keep in mind that you are not reading the blog of Morrison, Joyce, or Woolf, but rather Coyote, therefore his stream of consciousness may appear different than theirs. Additionally, the author of this blog is a poet , and poetry is always evolving. As educated as you sound I’m kind of surprised that you are holding a poet to your conventional rubric.. And bless your heart… as passionate as you are about conventional grammar, you began your reply to me with a single word response which ended with a period while neglecting to capitalize the letter N. Wisdom is vindicated by her deeds;)
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Touché! You raise thoughtful points, though your argument blends several ideas that deserve clarification. It’s true that voice and purpose are fundamental to writing, and I agree entirely on that point. However, invoking authorial intent does not automatically invalidate structural critique. As for Joyce, whose “stream of consciousness” you reference. His work adhered to self-imposed linguistic systems far stricter than conventional grammar. True rebellion requires rules; meaningful innovation demands a framework to push against.
Your defense of poetic license is valid but not exhaustive. The evolution of poetry does not erase conventions; instead, it redefines them. When a poet bends syntax or discards punctuation, the effect resonates precisely because it deviates from established form. Dismissing critique with “they’re a poet” risks trivializing the craft, implying that artistic freedom negates the need for deliberate technique.
Regarding the grammatical oversight you pointed out: fair enough. However, we should differentiate between a typo, which is a mechanical error, and a deliberate stylistic choice, which should hold up under scrutiny. One is human error; the other, if intentional, ought to withstand critical engagement.
As you note, wisdom is vindicated by her deeds, and among those deeds is the ability to debate ideas without conflating disagreement with a lack of understanding.
In short, I support celebrating voice and evolution in writing. But critique is not inherently restrictive, nor should we assume that those who analyze form fail to appreciate creativity. The interplay between structure and innovation is where the most compelling art emerges. Since you pointed the “nope” earlier, may I point the two-word response. Try typing with one hand on a moving train.
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On another note. I just went through some of your poems. Now, as rude as I may appear, yours is a work of a true writer. I’m not critical of writers, just those who aggrandize their work beyond its measure.
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