Red hats, red hats

Elie Wiesel once said we must never remain silent in the face of Hate. Humanity can only be saved in truth, and the revealing of lies.

Red hats, red hats

By

Carlos Lorenzo Estrada 

Red hats, red hats

Screaming in a crowd.

Blissfully ignorant 

Petulant and loud.

Bigoted in heart

Which they often deny.

"Go back to where you came from!"

Is often their war cry.

Red hats, red hats obtuse to pestilence.

Many lay dead reflect their indifference.

They rail incessant clamoring 

"My body my choice!"

While denying this same right

To a woman's voice.

Red hats, red hats when will you see

America is beautiful through diversity.

Prejudice and hatred

Revealed toward skin tone.

Beware what you reap

For the same shall be sown.

Red hats, red hats with hate they can't disguise.

They're faithless, and cowardly and fill the world with lies.

Author's Note

lyrical and allegorical which speaks to our worse impulses as human beings. In a nation created by slave owners who aspired future generations to be better then them by creating a diverse unified country, we are failing that dream. If we can't learn to accept and love one another then we truly do not deserve these privileged sacrosanct ideas we were founded on. Shame on us because we can't even find value in a single life lost by hatred, bullets, plague, and politics.

Reviews

[Davidgeo]

Reminds me of pre ww2 nazi germany. In that people let hatred seep through en masse to the point of extreme nastiness.... to the point of "no return" so to speak.

I probably went to far with that but... maybe not.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

you are exactly correct in your statement. History tells us there were Germans who did not believe in Hitler's ideology but they were too passive and indifferent to do anything about it. We can not be the same, or we will fall into the same path. Soon it will be more then just children we put into cages. We have to stop it all and find a better way. I truly feel it's up to us as writers to take this stand and educate these people. Only through our art and truth can we try to talk sense to them and show them they are better then this. I just want to leave this world a little better then when I lived in it, for the future generations after. Give them a little hope that they are better then I and my generation could ever be.

[Davidgeo]

I admire your style. You'll be hard pressed to find something like that.

[jen]

they scream louder and are experts at not seeing what is right in front of them, closing themselves off to their human core. It's fear and lack of love for themselves first. Because how can you show love and empathy and kindness if you can't love yourself? Even in my review to your wonderful poem, I type and back up and rewrite because there are no words that can sum up what we are as a country. I agree shame on us.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Beautiful and truthful words you have spoken. It is a heart like yours and the gift of your art that will educate the next generation. Through you they will find hope, love, respect for one another. It is through our words and the power of our art to change and inspire this world to be better. We can not let hate win under any circumstance. Like Gandhi said we must be the change we want to see in the world. It starts with us, the writers and our art. Thank you for your kind words.

[Chris Shaw]

Some people are just hateful. Fortunately they don't speak for everyone. We need to spread the love for a more peaceful existence where all people can live side by side. A mammoth task but it can be done. Your compassion shines through Carlos.

Chris

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

You are so right with your assessment, Chris. We can't quit on these people. It's incumbent on us to try to educate them and see we are better together then we will, ever be apart. We have to hope that love and understanding is enough. I just want to leave this world better than I lived in it for the next generation. Hate could never be the answer to any problems we may have as a society. Only love, respect, and appreciation for all can see us to the future. That's where education and writers make a difference. Like Gandhi said we must be the change we want to see in the world. It starts with us, and our gift of words, in our art.

[mattavelli]

We need to build a wall across that river to keep out them Mexicans from down in negrowagwa. They're all a bunch of socialist muslim terrorists, trying to steal our jobs and social security, and vote for the liberals to raise taxes and take away our guns.

Hello, Carlos! :)
I think your poem is lovely.
These are frustrated and mindlessly frustrating people. Haha

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

Totally agree but the saddest part is they have been indoctrinated as well as poorly educated to the point they are simply too easy to manipulate. And this small fraction really are not Republicans either. They are cultists who have no idea about the ideas and founding principles of what defines this country. And they don't want to know either. I'm an independent because I hate both political parties because they serve corporations and not the people. Only difference is one is willing to throw a few crumbs while the other is trying to change us to an oligarchy. Whenever I drive to the store a few blocks away there are homeless encampments popping up growing by the week. With lots living in their cars. It's utter madness. And they say we are the richest country in the world, yeah right, for the rich who are above the law because they can afford to buy it. Members of congress make close to 2 hundred thousand a year in pay...why? That's insane. Sorry for the rant, it's just sad that a segment is uneducated to the point they vote against their own self interests.

[mattavelli]

I can't connect with the desire to be lorded over and I dont understand what worship is. I understand that these things make life seem simpler; people essentially turning themselves into pets. It is very sad.

[jacob erin-cilberto]

Yes, "blissfully ignorant"----
Many are just ignoring the truth either on purpose or just wearing blinders.
Hate turns the world upside down, love gets back to right-side up.
j.

[Carlos Lorenzo Estrada]

I'm with you there Jacob. We are better then this. But it's difficult to get through to people who willfully vote against their own self interests. And who only care about themselves and not the rest of society. We have failed them through our educational system. No one even reads a book anymore. They would rather stay glued to their phone on Facebook or social media listening and being indoctrinated with false information. A few months back I had a conversation with a woman who was a devout follower of Qanon and let me tell you it was both scary and eye opening. I literally felt sorry for her because she was stuck with these beliefs she couldn't believe the truth anymore. It's not surprising that many suffer with mental illnesses who are believers of this garbage. They are tragically too easy to manipulate and too difficult to turn around from these toxic ideologies of falsehoods. It's heartbreaking.