Remembering Poet Doug Draime

I wanted to take a moment to remember poet Doug Draime, as he passed away last week. I found out through John Bennett's Shard email list, after Doug's wife alerted him. Doug had sent me a dozen or so poems over the last couple of years, of which I posted a few on my other website, Dear Dirty America.

credit: Outlaw Poetry

Doug's poetry was often considered hard-hitting stuff about the streets, poverty, income disparity in America, and he often tackled political and social problems with a hatred for hypocrisy and elitism.

Draime's ebook, Speed of Light can be found online for free. It's worth checking out.

Here's one of his poems that he sent me. It's a good beginning to Draime's work.

Question Everything

Question this poem

and the publication

    it is appearing in.

      Question every moment

inside your ever changing cage. Now, is the

         release of your age old

                         servitude. Question the

ghosts of shadows, that your past and

                 future parade before you like

monkeys in a barrel. Question the abstract

            projector of your mind.

Question every thought

of mind: of war and

                 conflict. Question greed and all political 

  thinking. Question every hint of fear

             and betrayal. Question all

                                                      things of form

and weight. Question intensely every shade and

  shape of ego. Question the Commander

                   & Chief of the ego, Death. Question it relentlessly

until you know the truth.

                   Now, is the release of your age old servitude. Question

           every stinking lie since the Big Bang.