The Rivers of Babylon jansmatters.com, January 13, 2026January 13, 2026 By the Rivers of Babylon I sit and weep for another home another timeThere on the tree I hang my guitarMy tormentors bid me to sing their songHate filled young men with bitter eyes and rifles and assault weaponsOfficials who profess to be hunting with rifles and assault weapons for those who oppose their beliefs Men and women who storm the bastions of the republic and seek out their opposition for torture and hangingsMen and women who are thrilled to believe anything other than the truthWhat song can I sing to these prompts?I cannot forget a softer thoughtI cannot forget a simpler way I cannot forget a universal solidarity that flames for an instance and then is carried off by the winds of discontentI’ll save my songs for a smaller gathering of gentler soulsWho don’t need to agreeWho coexist peacefully with differences on displayI was not captured and taken to the rivers of Babylon. Those rivers came to me By Jan Kraus Inspired by Psalm 137 Share this: Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Like this:Like Loading… Related Essays, Flash Fiction, Poetry Babyloncurrent eventsPoemPoetryPsalm 137
Minister’s Daughter? July 9, 2025 I appear as a minister’s daughterRather than a person with a past My persona ingrainedMy reality a constant clash I act with apparent compassionFilled with a sense of derision My actions entrenchedMy passions a constant collision Outside InsideInside Outside Conflict in the depths of perceptionDissonance at the heart of cognition… Share this: Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Like this:Like Loading… Read More
Being a Ghost has a Certain Appeal October 28, 2024 Perhaps it is appearing briefly as a shimmer at the end of a stranger’s hall at night or moving items just as the person turns away and back to a shelf they are organizing or triggering shivers down the spines of a group of teens in the park playing with… Share this: Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Like this:Like Loading… Read More
Come Loose January 26, 2025January 26, 2025 Come loose in the universeFreefall in space and timeat least twice a weekUnglue from the continuumGravity ignoredGlideFloatSoar on the currents of infinityEagle on the solar windDolphin on the lunar tide Jan Kraus 2025 Share this: Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Like this:Like Loading… Read More