(Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLXVII: "lives born then ash-bound"
Haunting thoughts of a Gazan baby swirl within ... yet rainbow flowers bloom above New York’s neon haze.
firework-lit sky
on the screen and in my mind
lives born, then ash-bound)
History Often Rhymes, III: "first Muslim mayor of New York City"
for Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim mayor of New York City
and "ALL" New Yorkers
with his hand
firmly on the Quran
Mamdani vows ...
echo and echo through hearts
while the city breathes as one
FYI: "Zohran Mamdani is considered the second Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, following his inauguration as the 112th Mayor of New York City on January 1, 2026. While New York City is not a national capital, it is often grouped with cities like London as a "global capital" or "major Western capital" in political discourse. By this definition, Mamdani follows Sadiq Khan, who became the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital when he was elected Mayor of London in 2016."
And some relevant passages from his inaugural address:
I have been told that this is the occasion to reset expectations, that I should use this opportunity to encourage the people of New York to ask for little and expect even less. I will do no such thing. The only expectation I seek to reset is that of small expectations.
Beginning today, we will govern expansively and audaciously. We may not always succeed. But never will we be accused of lacking the courage to try...
I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist. I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical. As the great senator from Vermont once said, “What’s radical is a system which gives so much to so few and denies so many people the basic necessities of life.”
Added:
thunderclaps echo ...
Kharkiv’s skies smoky red
on New Year
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLXIV: "haunting thoughts"
haunting thoughts
of a Gazan baby
swirl within ...
yet rainbow flowers bloom
above New York’s neon haze
Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXVII:
written in response to
CBS News, Jan. 3 2026: U.S. strikes Venezuela and captures Maduro;
Trump says "we're going to run the country" for now
Maduro
bound, blindfolded and kidnapped ...
Trump's meaty smile
and his middle finger raised
to clicking of cameras
Mexico's Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the attack as a clear violation of article two of the charter of the United Nations.
Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement arguing, “President Trump’s unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro—however terrible he is—is a return to a day when the United States asserted a right to dominate the internal affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere. The history is replete with failures, and doubling down on it makes it difficult to the claim with a straight face to other countries should respect the United States’ sovereignty when we do not do the same.”
And
"We're not afraid of boots on the ground if we have to have. We had boots on the ground last night at a very high level, actually."
"Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again."
Haaretz, Analysis, Jan. 5: A Groundbreaking Coup in Latin America?
Maduro's Capture Continues a U.S. Tradition Dating Back to the 19th Century
Amid persistent inflation, he's trying another, oft-repeated policy – imperialistic behavior in Latin America: Between 1898 and 1994, the continent saw 41 instances of U.S.-engineered regime change.
Trump is a unique president in many respects, but in this case, he didn't deviate from the decisions of John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and others who overthrew regimes they disliked. The U.S. perception of Latin America as its backyard has been one of the most prominent characteristics of its foreign policy for generations.
However, Trump is facing domestic challenges like persistent inflation and the Epstein files that continue to make headlines. Under these conditions, foreign policy is a simple, magical solution, certainly if it's in the form of an impressive military operation that expresses U.S. power.
And this tanka could be read as a sequel to my tanka below:
History Often Rhymes, I: "the Donroe Doctrine"
the Don posed
behind the Resolute Desk
with fingers cocked
for the cameras' rapid fire ...
a map crossed with red X’s
Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXVIII:
in misty night
Corleone and Trump blurring ...
a dream, yet truer
Under our new national security strategy, American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again.
Added: Trump Empire, Inc, LXIX:
Otherworldly Feel
to spineless Mark Carney, Canada's prime minister
snowstorm gathering...
does it matter now how
Maduro was taken?
Niagara Falls' cliff
covered in icocles ...
51st state claim
elbows up
elbows down, elbows up?
tangled maple limbs
FYI: The War of 1812 heavily impacted the Niagara Falls area, becoming a critical theater for American invasions of Upper Canada, culminating in the brutal Battle of Lundy's Lane. The narrow neck of land between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario made the Niagara region a crucial invasion route for the Americans.
Added:
At the Edge
the year
dying in the night
alone, I
lean out the window
into the dark
this pull
of the moonlit darkness
as if distant
as if near ...
still, I wait
Added: Against the Drowning Noise of Other Words, CCLXV: "buzzing sound of drones"
the buzzing
of drones in deepening dark
a ponytailed girl
freezes, gazing heavenward
as puddles ripple crimson
