WHO KILLED SUPERMAN?

The brave man in the
sky was supposed to
stand for America:

Any small town boy
could grow up
and become a hero

just like Superman.
Just lose the glasses,
turn a bright red

table cloth into a
cape. Nab a couple
of bad guys as they

almost get away with
some poor old lady's
purse, and you'd be

up in the big blue sky
before you can say:
God Bless America!

It made so much sense
in the movies. The bad
guys always got caught,

and Superman was
always up there just
watching and waiting

to swoop down and save
America before it's too
late: No dead Kennedys.

No Vietnam. No Nixon
giving us the peace sign.
No Ronald Reagan

pretending to have a
ticking heart. No World
Trade Center. No

George W. Bush hiding
the truth, and blaming the
poor for his own deliberate

mistakes. Just an honest to
God hero always up there
to save America again

and again. Until the beautiful
dream somehow became
crippled and corrupt. And

the best man always loses now.
Our heroes are hunted,
and they fall from the sky

like slaughtered eagles.
America, America:
Who killed Superman?

He was the last one. He was
our only chance. And now
he has a bullet in his head.

From sea to shining sea.

Poem © 2009 by Dylan Mitchell

Remembering John MacKenzie

What can you say about a brilliant artist, friend, and a great spirit -
after he has left this world forever?
I only know what I can say, and I tried to express my love and admiration for John in a poem I wrote. But it somehow doesn't seem enough.

John MacKenzie passed away on May 3, 2011. He was 89 years old. And he was my dear friend for 12 years.

John listened to me endlessly gripe (when I was in a deep depression). He designed the cover of my first chapbook of poems (for free). He fed me when I was broke and hungry. He encouraged me to make the most of life - even as his own health declined.

He believed art made life worth living. And he was still painting on May 3rd - his last day on this earth. So it's too difficult to say goodbye. I prefer, "I'll be seeing you." And I thank you much for all of your patience and love.

VAN GOGH'S CROWS

If I should die
as the sun sets
and the crows fly

will you forget me?
If I should die
as my blood drips

and the saints cry
will you remember me?
After the paint's dry

and the critics lie
and the crows die
will you forget me?

After I die
and a new sunrise
and the crows fly

will you remember me?

Poem © 2009 by Dylan Mitchell

What If Straight People Couldn’t Get Married?

I actually overheard someone asking this question, while I was standing in line at Safeway the other day. There was an "article" in one of the tabloids about how gay marriage would bring America to its knees (bad pun on purpose) if it ever became legal. The man asking the question appeared gay to me, and he was chatting with the cashier - a straight male Christian. I assume this because he was sporting a wedding ring, plus his casual answer was: "God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve, so your question is ridiculous."

The gay man's face tensed up, but he didn't say anything more. However, the incident really got me thinking about the gay marriage issue, and how some straight folks seem to be clueless when it comes to understanding why so many gay folks are fighting for the right to legally get married.

Let's imagine (to help me make my point) a world in which straight people can't get married. A world in which gays and lesbians are casually stating, "God made Adam and Steve (or Amanda and Eve), not Adam and Eve." A world in which straight people see gays and lesbians getting married on television, in the movies, newspapers and magazines, but never any straight couples. A world in which gays and lesbians defiantly hold protests every time straight people fight for the right to legally get married. A world in which gays and lesbians openly hold hands and/or kiss each other in public, but straight people risk ridicule or worse - if they try to express their love for each other in the world.

Now let's throw in the Bible for good measure (pretend there are sections which clearly state that heterosexuality is an abomination, and the holy union between man and man, woman and woman - is something which pleases God to no end). If you are a heterosexual, how would all of this make you feel? Would it make you angry, depressed, or apathetic? Especially if the idea of straight marriage was considered a "ridiculous" one by many.

Essay © 2007 by Dylan Mitchell