All these #threads are #interwoven – v2 #God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice #Venezuela

We are not at an inflection point, but several at once,
Different strands within the same cord…
The rise of authoritarians, their minions,
Jack-booted thugs, armed little Satans -
Just as we were warned by history -
There is a rise in violence against innocents,
Riots are rising, marching, children taken...
All these threads are interwoven,
Shoots, branches grafted in the same vine -
Tares growing within fields of wheat -
We do not know the fruit they will bear…
 
We see civil war, resistance against repression,
Brothers warring against brothers...
Cell-phone cameras of an army…
Believe your eyes, not propaganda,
Lies of those in power, shouting,
Demanding submission, uneven...
Every meeting, every statement
None of them alone unravels the system, but
Together they weave pressure across borders,
Over time, across pivotal junctures...
 
Sometimes we ponder, seeing the threads,
Seeing more clearly than the actors…
Someone pulling on just one strand,
Thinking only of the immediate, this moment,
This action, not on the ripple effects,
A butterfly effect of consequences…
Upheaval, vulnerable weapons at the ready,
Asymmetrical warfare against great powers
Based on the show of force, their tactics,
Forgetting the world has already changed…
 
Change is upon us, titans fighting -
An Age of Empires or Freedom -
Only time will tell, in its own time,
Catharsis is never tidy; it is cumulative, building,
relentless, and ever-patient. People who endure,
who persist in speaking truth, are the ones
who bend the arc of history toward justice,
even when it feels invisible day by day…
Chaos and patience exist side by side —
Both are part of God's work...
 
-------
Edited January 31, 2026
All these threads are interwoven – v2
 
Edited/new name January 29, 2026
All these threads are interwoven
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/01/all-these-threads-are-interwoven.html
Edited January 29, 2026
These threads are interwoven – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/01/these-threads-are-interwoven-v2.html
Edited/new name January 26, 2026
These threads are interwoven
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/01/these-threads-are-interwoven.html
January 25, 2026
All of the threads are woven together
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/01/all-of-threads-are-woven-together.html
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
 
God, poetry, Epstein, Georgia, Ukraine, Greenland, Minnesota, Russia, United States, Iran, power, lies, propaganda, truth, ICE, Trump, Zelenskyy, Putin, history, justice,
 
#God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice #Venezuela 

All these #threads are #interwoven #God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice

Not an inflection point, but several at once,
Different strands within the same cord
The rise of authoritarians, their minions,
Jack-booted thugs, armed little Satans -
Just as we were warned by history -
The rise of violence against innocents,
Riots are rising, marching, children taken...
All these threads are interwoven,
shoots grafted in the same vine -
tares growing within fields of wheat -
We do not know the fruit they will bear…
 
Civil war, resistance against repression,
Brothers warring against brothers...
Cell-phone cameras of an army…
Believe your eyes, not propaganda,
Lies of those in power, shouting,
Demanding submission, uneven...
Every meeting, every statement
None alone unravels the system, but
Together they weave pressure across borders,
Over time, across pivotal junctures...
 
Sometimes we ponder, seeing the threads,
Seeing more clearly than the actors…
Someone pulling on one strand,
Thinking only of the immediate, this moment,
This action, not on the ripple effects,
A butterfly effect of consequences…
Upheaval, weapons at the ready,
Asymmetrical warfare against great powers
Based on the show of force, their tactics,
Forgetting the world has already changed…
 
Change is upon us, titans -
An Age of Empires or Freedom -
Only time will tell, in its own time,
Change is never tidy; it is cumulative, building,
relentless, and ever-patient. People who endure,
who persist in speaking truth, are the ones
who bend the arc of history toward justice,
even when it feels invisible day by day.
Chaos and patience exist side by side —
Both are part of God's work...
 
-------
Edited/new name January 29, 2026
All these threads are interwoven
 
Edited January 29, 2026
These threads are interwoven – v2
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/01/these-threads-are-interwoven-v2.html
Edited/new name January 26, 2026
These threads are interwoven
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/01/these-threads-are-interwoven.html
January 25, 2026
All of the threads are woven together
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/01/all-of-threads-are-woven-together.html
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
 
God, poetry, Epstein, Georgia, Ukraine, Greenland, Minnesota, Russia, United States, Iran, power, lies, propaganda, truth, ICE, Trump, Zelenskyy, Putin, history, justice,
 
#God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice

These #threads are #interwoven – v2 #God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice

Not an inflection point, but several at once,
Different strands within the same cord
The rise of authoritarians, their minions,
Jack-booted thugs, armed little Satans -
Just as we were warned by history -
The rise of violence against innocents,
Riots are rising, marching, children taken...
All of these threads are interwoven,
But like shoots grafted in the same vine -
or like tares growing with stalks of wheat -
We do not know the fruit they will bear…
 
Civil war, resistance against repression,
Brothers warring against brothers...
Cell-phone cameras of an army,
Believing your eyes, not the propaganda,
Lies of those in power, shouting,
Demanding submission, uneven...
Every meeting, every statement
None alone unravels the system, but
Together they weave pressure across borders,
Over time, across pivotal junctures...
 
Sometimes we ponder, seeing the threads,
Seeing more clearly than the actors…
Someone pulling on one strand,
Thinking only of the immediate, this moment,
This action, not on the ripple effects,
A butterfly effect of consequences…
Upheaval, weapons at the ready,
Asymmetrical warfare against great powers
Based on the show of force, their tactics,
Forgetting the world has already changed…
 
Change is upon us, titans -
An Age of Empires or Freedom -
Only time will tell, in its own time,
Change is never tidy; it is cumulative, building,
relentless, and ever-patient. People who endure,
who persist in speaking truth, are the ones
who bend the arc of history toward justice,
even when it feels invisible day by day.
Chaos and patience exist side by side —
Both are part of God's work...
 
-------
Edited January 29, 2026
These threads are interwoven – v2
 
Edited/new name January 26, 2026
These threads are interwoven
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/01/these-threads-are-interwoven.html
January 25, 2026
All of the threads are woven together
https://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2026/01/all-of-threads-are-woven-together.html
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
 
God, poetry, Epstein, Georgia, Ukraine, Greenland, Minnesota, Russia, United States, Iran, power, lies, propaganda, truth, ICE, Trump, Zelenskyy, Putin, history, justice,
 
#God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine,  #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice

These #threads are #interwoven #God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice

Not an inflection point, but several,
Different strands within the same cord
The rise of authoritarians, their minions,
Jack-booted thugs, armed little Satans -
Just as we were warned by history -
The rise of violence against innocents,
Riots are rising, marching, children taken...
These threads are interwoven,
But like shoots grafted in the same vine,
We do not know the fruit they will bear…
 
Civil war, resistance against repression,
Brothers warring against brothers...
Cell-phone cameras of an army,
Believing in your eyes, not the propaganda,
Lies of those in power, shouting,
Demanding submission, uneven...
Every meeting, every statement
None alone unravels the system, but
Together they weave pressure across borders,
Over time, across pivotal junctures...
 
Change is upon us, titans -
An Age of Empires or Freedom -
Only time will tell, in its own time,
Change is never tidy; it is cumulative, building,
relentless, and ever-patient. People who endure,
who persist in speaking truth, are the ones
who bend the arc of history toward justice,
even when it feels invisible day by day.
Chaos and patience exist side by side —
Both are part of God's work...
 
-------
Edited/new name January 26, 2026
These threads are interwoven
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
 
God, poetry, Epstein, Georgia, Ukraine, Greenland, Minnesota, Russia, United States, Iran, power, lies, propaganda, truth, ICE, Trump, Zelenskyy, Putin, history, justice,
 
#God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine,  #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice

All of the #threads are woven together #God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine, #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice

Not an inflection point, but many,
Different strands within the same cord
The rise of authoritarians, their minions,
Jack-booted thugs, little Satans -
As we were already warned by history -
The rise of violence against the innocents,
Riots are rising, marching, children taken...
All the threads are woven together,
But like new shoots grafted in the same vine,
We do not know the fruit they will bear…
 
Civil war, resistance against repression,
Brothers warring against brothers...
Cell-phone cameras of an army,
Believing your eyes not the propaganda,
The lies of those in power, shouting,
Demanding submission, uneven...
Every meeting, every statement
None alone unravels the system, but,
Together they weave pressure across borders,
over time, across pivotal moments...
 
Change is upon us, titans -
The Age of Empires or Freedom -
Only time will tell, in its time,
Change is never tidy; it is cumulative, building,
relentless, and ever-patient. People who endure,
who persist in speaking truth, are the ones
who bend the arc of history toward justice,
even when it feels invisible day by day.
Chaos and patience exist side by side —
both are part of the work of God...
 
-------
January 25, 2026
All of the threads are woven together
 
 
All of my poems, photographs, and videos are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com)  for usage. See my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
 
God, poetry, Georgia,  Ukraine,  Greenland,  Minnesota, Russia,  United States, Iran, empires, power, propaganda, evil, truth, ICE, Trump, Zelenskyy,  Putin, history, justice,
 
#God #poetry #Epstein #Georgia #Ukraine,  #Greenland #Minnesota #Russia #UnitedStates #Iran #empires #power #lies #propaganda #evil #truth #change #ICE #Trump #Zelenskyy #Putin #history #justice

Pumpkin Seeds – v2

Under the canopy

over the lake

on the flat surface

of the pier, under the awning

next to the boat moored there

I lay still on the pier

watching the water below me

fish, pumpkin seeds,

darted fitfully beneath me

aware of my presence

A fishing leader only

dangling off my index finger

a hook hidden from their view;

A less-than-cautious one was

caught with canned corn on my line

Dropped in the bucket beside me

flopping and flipping

while I did it again

in the clear lake

in Mound, Minnesota

forty-four summers ago

-----------------

edited October 29, 2015

Pumpkin Seeds – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2015/10/pumpkin-seeds-v2.html

&

post

“Darting fitfully”

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnmorag/396422577/in/faves-38368286@N08/

“How could I not post this poem with this photo ... it did an odd thing, Mr Foss saw tiny fish in the water like pumpkin seeds and, because of it, I see the seeds in the pumpkin like little fish within the reeds.... the power of suggestion! 

www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com:80/”

by

Lynn Morag

https://www.flickr.com/photos/lynnmorag/

January 27, 2007

&

August 17, 2006 22:07

Pumpkin Seeds

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/08/pumpkin-seeds.html

Lake Minnetonka

Mound, MN

August 1971

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 39,840+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Fresh Catch – v3

stifled laughter

through the blessing,

but for only so long

furtive looks, sneaking glances

smirks giving way, a torrent

A cascade of giggling caught us

in waves, in commotion,

that night at the dinner table

A fresh catch by our fingers

perch and pumpkinseeds

flipped, flopped in the sink

during the dinner conversation

waiting for our hands

while spaghetti was on the menu

fresh from the lake

a few feet away, fresh catch,

a piece of the joy of childhood

serenading our supper

flip, flop, … splash

in mom's clean sink

----

edited July 8, 2014

Fresh Catch – v3

edited June 25, 2014

Fresh Catch – v2

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2014/06/fresh-catch-v2.html

July 19, 2006 20:12

Fresh Catch

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/07/fresh-catch.html

Summer 1971

Mound, MN

Tippe Wauken Apartments

Lake Minnetonka

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 31,030+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Fresh Catch – v2

stifled laughter

for only so long

A cascade of giggling caught us

in waves, in commotion,

that night at the dinner table

A fresh catch by our fingers

perch and pumpkinseeds

flipped, flopped in the sink

waiting for our hands

while spaghetti was on the menu

fresh from the lake

a few feet away

a piece of the joy of childhood

serenading our supper

flip, flop, splash

in mom's clean sink

----

edited June 25, 2014

Fresh Catch – v2

July 19, 2006 20:12

Fresh Catch

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/07/fresh-catch.html

Summer 1971

Mound, MN

Tippe Wauken Apartments

Lake Minnetonka

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,700+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

A Seam in the Sky

Looking upward, memories
looking down, below my feet
outward, beyond my vision
a seam in the cold December sky
cut, white, ivory, in the darkening clouds
an echo, a memory
fissured cracks in a Minnesota lake
thirty-seven years ago
Tendrils to the seam, like fingers of frost
feathering the edges, the light seeping
coming through the moving line
reaching beyond my vision
driving north under glowering skies

December 4, 2008

Pumpkin Seeds

Under the canopy
over the lake
on the flat surface
of the pier
next to the boat moored there
I lay still on the pier
watching the water
fish, pumpkin seeds,
darted fitfully below me
aware of my presence
a fishing leader
dangling off my index finger
a hook hidden from their view
a less than cautious one was
caught with canned corn on a leader
dropped in the bucket beside me
flopping and flipping
while I did it again
in the clear lake
in Minnesota
thirty five summers ago

August 17, 2006 22:07

Pumpkin Seeds

http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/08/pumpkin-seeds.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 39,840+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Fresh Catch

A cascade of giggling
caught us
in waves
that night
at the dinner table
A fresh catch
perch and pumpkinseeds
flipped, flopped in the sink
waiting for our hands
while spaghetti was on the menu
fresh from the lake
a few feet away
a piece of
the joy of childhood
serenading our supper

Fall, 1971
http://raymondafoss.blogspot.com/2006/07/fresh-catch.html

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 30,700+ of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.

Rink

After Minnesota’s lakes
in the winter of ’71,
it was no big deal
but for us it was
it was something we did together
dad, mom, and us
some plastic, boards to frame
the edge
and a thin film of ice
added layer by layer,
day by day
brittle pockets of air,
deep solid parts
and ragged places
where the lawn dipped, sloped
draining the hose after each time,
so it wouldn’t fill
setting lights to shine on our practice
under the stars and moon
using it after school too;
but mostly at night,
watching mom figure skate
and dad teaching us hockey
before the lure of skiing
changed our winter sport.

July 15, 2006 18:54

All of my poems are copyrighted by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012. All rights reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss for usage. See all 19,720+ of my poems at http://www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com Poetry Where You Live.