A Room of My Own: Hate and Death Tanka

reading between the lives and writing between the lines, XVIII

for Nyima Dolma, Tibetan woman, 28 of Toronto, remembered as "joyful and friendly"

this Asian woman

set on fire on a bus ...dies

after weeks of fighting

against hate and death,  

a part of me gone with her

FYI: FYI: Ridiculously photogenic Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, has been talking about the fight against anti-Asian hate crimes during the pandemic, while his American counterpart, Joe Biden, signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act -- the bill addressing hate crimes against Asian-Americans, into law four moths after he took office. 

“My message to all those of you who are hurting is, we see you... And the Congress has said, we see you. And we are committed to stopping the hatred and the bias.

-- Joe Biden

Added: Three Hundred and Forty-First Entry,  Coronavirus Poetry Diary

written in response to "Canada in the 7th wave, but no COVID-19 restrictions expected"

wearing a flag hat

and a politician’s smile

he walks up

to loud-mouthed anti-vaxxers

and leads the pack to Ottawa

FYI: Global News, July 7: How close is too close to the far-right? Why some experts are worried about Canada’s MPs.

Politicians around the world have increasingly toyed with far-right movements and principles in recent years,...this tactic becomes increasingly popular, experts are starting to worry about the influence politicians could have in legitimizing extreme ideas.

“They seem to be playing this culture war knowingly,” said Evan Balgord, executive director of the Canadian Anti-Hate Network, in an interview with Global News.

For Balgord, what Poilievre chose to do on June 30 “wasn’t a surprise.”

“He was positioning himself to earn the support of the far-right in his leadership race.”

On June 22, a group of Conservative MPs, including leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis, Jeremy Patzer, Ryan Williams, Arnold Viersen and Dean Allison — among others — met with key convoy figures. Patzer told them they have “allies” in Ottawa.

Still, most Canadians remain united. Only 15 per cent of Canadians haven’t had any COVID-19 vaccine doses, and the growing group of anti-establishment protesters remains a manageable size, Carvin said....

“If that number continues to grow, it becomes sizable enough to actually threaten the existence of a small “L” liberal democracy,” he said.

“By legitimating the far-right movement, Pierre Poilievre and politicians of his ilk are helping to grow that number.”

Added: Three Hundred and Forty-Second Entry

already 7th wave ...

chitter-chatter in the lobby

crowded with shoppers

Added: Three Hundred and Forty-Third Entry

a honeybee buzzing

between lilacs

the smiles unmasked