Second Coming No. 115 — May 14, 2025
A poem-a-day protest against the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House and his regime
Kimi Sugioka
Wrong is Right
Place tariffs on imported goods
so they become more costly
because expensive is cheap
Zelensky started the war in Ukraine
even though Putin invaded her
because defense is offense
Get rid of Medicare, Medicaid and vaccines
so the poor die off quicker and the rich continue to have the best medical care
because sickness is health
Trim the fat off the federal budget
by firing thousands of skilled essential workers
because poverty is wealth
Deport immigrants so we will be safer and richer
though immigrants with no criminal records are being incarcerated without recourse
because innocence is criminal
Force the remaining Palestinians out of Gaza
and create a Middle East Riviera
because imperialism is democracy
Drill baby drill without regard for life on earth
so that oil will be cheap and plentiful
because death is life
Threaten all our previously allied countries
because war is peace
Ally the US with Russia, Israel and North Korea
because dictators are really good people
Kimi Sugioka is the author of two poetry collections from Manic D Press: Wile & Wing (2019) and The Language Of Birds (1994). Her poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies (recent poems can be found online in Bay Poets and The Alameda Post). Sugioka holds an MFA from Naropa University and is the poet laureate of Alameda, California. As an active board member for literary arts organizations, she curates and hosts readings in Alameda and San Francisco. Mother, educator, songwriter, poet, she believes that creating community through art is a revolutionary act.
Indolent Books and editor Michael Broder are back with another poem-a-day series as a creative response to the threat posed to our democracy by the current occupant of the White House. The plan is to continue for all 1460 days of the 47th American presidency.
Find out how to submit poems or flash prose pieces to Second Coming.
If you like Second Coming and you want to support it, consider making a donation to Indolent Arts, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscal sponsor of Indolent Books.
Second Coming is a section of Beachcomber Mike. To unsubscribe from a section:
1. Navigate to your account Settings page via www.substack.com/settingsand click on the publication you want to make changes to.
2. Slide the toggle next to each section you'd like to stop receiving emails or app notifications from. A gray toggle indicates that notifications will be off for that section.