Wrightings

  The day the dash moved the world   On September 11 th, people came together, in fear, in hope, and help. Heroes born in ashes and melted metal, adversaries born in conjecture and rumors.   The 9-1-1 calls rang out worldwide shut it down, planes diverted, blackouts ordered, prayer vigils popped up: we lit candles, held hands, and everyone was living in the news feed hoping for more, praying for more, more survivors, more facts, more direction.   September 11 th brought us together in disbelief. We looked into a president’s eyes and saw fear. We called our distant relatives; we began volunteering. We met strangers and became wary friends.   Some of us lost friends; some of us built trust on the hallowed ground. Some of us waged war and revenge. Others were too devastated.     Some remembered. Some forgot the names but never the morning. Some carried fear into every airport, every siren since, every s...

 

  For the Ones Who Call Her Dog   They call her dog, They say bitch — spit it like it doesn’t mean mother, protector.   They leave her with their fleas, their mess, their violence, their empty bowls and still she waits by the door, watches the street, counts footsteps that don’t belong, teeth bared growl in the dark.   Because she is the one who stays, even when their hands forget how to be gentle. She comes back, tail low, hoping this time touch remembers worth.   They say they’ve mapped the gene that makes dogs gentle, less wolf, more willing to lie with man.   But they have never seen her when blood remembers — never heard her howl split the night not begging, but warning. That sound is a promise.   And the bite — oh, the bite that only comes after every chance has been given.   So, call her dog, but know, She is Pomeranian fragile, and Pit Bull, fierce.     First P...

  How to Create a Democratic Republic That Lasts 250 Years J. L. Wright Ingredients Flour gathered from the heartlands Clear Pacific Northwest water that remembers every season New England sea salt, enough to make us honest A patient spoonful of midwestern yeast Carolina or Georgian Sesame seeds for hope Time, history, itself, is its measure Use the measurements of memories The warmth of a neighbor holding the screen door The smell of chicory coffee beside a ballot box Kentucky porch swings creaking through difficult conversations Tropical rain on a concession speech Sore feet after marching together A child's fingerprints on the oven glass   Instructions Wash your hands. Bring everyone to the table. Leave no empty chair. Mix gently. Every hand changes the dough. Some arrive early, some late, all leave a trace. Knead until disagreement becomes strength. If it cracks, add listening instead of force. Let the...

3 rd cousin 8 times removed on our mother’s side Abraham Clark was selected to sign the Declaration of Independence due to his vocal support for independence, his political experience, and his reputation as a dedicated public servant. Background and Political Involvement Abraham Clark was a prominent figure in New Jersey politics before the American Revolution. He was known as "the poor man's counselor" for his commitment to representing those who could not afford legal representation. His background as a surveyor and self-taught lawyer, combined with his service in various public offices, including high sheriff of Essex County, established him as a respected leader in his community  Support for Independence Initially, the New Jersey delegation to the Continental Congress was opposed to independence from Great Britain. However, as tensions escalated, the state convention replaced the delegates with those favoring separation. Clark was appointed as a delegate du...

  II   What sphinx of cement and aluminum bashed open their skulls and ate up their brains and imagination? Moloch! Solitude! Filth! Ugliness! Ashcans and unobtainable dollars! Children screaming under the stairways! Boys sobbing in armies! Old men weeping in the parks! Moloch! Moloch! Nightmare of Moloch! Moloch the loveless! Mental Moloch! Moloch the heavy judger of men! Moloch the incomprehensible prison! Moloch the crossbone soulless jailhouse and Congress of sorrows! Moloch whose buildings are judgment! Moloch the vast stone of war! Moloch the stunned governments! Moloch whose mind is pure machinery! Moloch whose blood is running money! Moloch whose fingers are ten armies! Moloch whose breast is a cannibal dynamo! Moloch whose ear is a smoking tomb! Moloch whose eyes are a thousand blind windows! Moloch whose skyscrapers stand in the long streets like endless Jehovahs! Moloch whose factories dream and croak in the fog! Moloch whose smok...