I can’t ignore the puppet strings,
\nthe wire that connects the wood to blood.
\nI can’t forget the man who sings
\nsuch lonely ballads, boots all caked in mud.
\nI cannot feel the empathy
\nwith hordes who trundle daily through the street.
\nI cannot muster sympathy
\nfor those who battle for the better seat.
\nThe puppet show goes on all day.
\nThe plot is never-ending.
\nThe heartsung tunes just waft away,
\ninto the blue skies wending.
\nThe milling crowds in business shrouds
\nmay dwindle down by night.
\nBut, come the dark, like stormy clouds,
\nthey’re primed for fight or flight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I can’t ignore the puppet strings, the wire that connects the wood to blood. I can’t forget the man who sings such lonely ballads, boots all caked in mud. I cannot feel the empathy with hordes who trundle daily through the street. I cannot muster sympathy for those who battle for the better seat. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[16],"tags":[3],"class_list":["post-551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poem-2","tag-poem"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1987,"url":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?p=1987","url_meta":{"origin":551,"position":0},"title":"Their Appointed Rounds","author":"Rick Young","date":"August 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Stamp out the old post office. Bring back the pony express. Kidnap\u00a0the corner mailbox. He'll stop this mail-in mess. Stand in line and vote in person. Otherwise it's ripe for fraud. Absentee ballots outside Florida are an attempt to hurt god. His puppet postmaster general, big donor Louis DeJoy, has\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poem"","block_context":{"text":"Poem","link":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1947,"url":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?p=1947","url_meta":{"origin":551,"position":1},"title":"Activate the Barr","author":"Rick Young","date":"July 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"He'll protect our federal buildings at all cost. Without his help a courthouse could be lost. And when one courthouse goes, they fall like dominoes. So, that's why\u00a0all that tear gas needs be tossed. He said he doesn't read his boss' tweets. He's just too busy cleaning up our streets.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poem"","block_context":{"text":"Poem","link":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":674,"url":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?p=674","url_meta":{"origin":551,"position":2},"title":"By the By","author":"Rick Young","date":"January 27, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Beyond the beyond is an everlasting pond. Above the above is a branch that holds the dove. Inside the inside is a mystery untied. Below the below there are things we cannot know.","rel":"","context":"In "Poem"","block_context":{"text":"Poem","link":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":278,"url":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?p=278","url_meta":{"origin":551,"position":3},"title":"Men and Guns","author":"Rick Young","date":"January 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"This infatuation needs examination. A preference for guns amongst the thousand funs indicates a flaw, even for the law. Take the rod God gave you. Bullets cannot save you.","rel":"","context":"In "Poem"","block_context":{"text":"Poem","link":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/redtinnoodles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Guns.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/redtinnoodles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Guns.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/redtinnoodles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Guns.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/redtinnoodles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Guns.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":892,"url":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?p=892","url_meta":{"origin":551,"position":4},"title":"Carnac Homage II","author":"Rick Young","date":"April 29, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"60's \"Fifth Beatle\" DJ, turned dentist: Murray Decay Wild west folk hero with esophageal spasms: Wild Bill Hiccup Ball club made up of little Cratchits: Tiny Team Disney memorabilia above the fireplace: Mickey Mantlepiece Ex Supreme Court judge becomes ruler of England: Warren Berger King If Kong had freed captive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Poem"","block_context":{"text":"Poem","link":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":740,"url":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?p=740","url_meta":{"origin":551,"position":5},"title":"Cold Reading","author":"Rick Young","date":"July 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"No class on lawn tonight. Too dark for prolonged concentration. Please set timer for last lesson. Return all books with pages cleaned. Marks will be given, then taken away. Thought cannot be taught or bought. Graduation occurs at sunrise.","rel":"","context":"In "Poem"","block_context":{"text":"Poem","link":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/551\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/redtinnoodles.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}