Gayle J. Greenlea
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gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Gayle J. Greenlea
@gjgreenlea.bsky.social
3.6K followers 6.5K following 1.6K posts
American-Australian poet, novelist, muso, counselor for survivors of sexual & gender violence. Black Bough Poetry, Fevers of the Mind, Ice Floe Press, SAR, Kalonopia, Headline Poetry & Press, Rebelle, Wombwell Rainbow. #BLM #LGBTQIA #Climate #Disability
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Epstein’s victims are now adults who have courageously stood up for themselves & others…Some seek answers. All seek justice. Many are bewildered about why no one came to their aid. They’ve spent decades speaking truth to a public more occupied w/ celebrity & wealth than the protection of children.
Megyn Kelly, dressed in a black top and leather skirt, stands next to Trump in his signature blue suit and long red tie. Trump gives a thumbs up.
November 15, 2025 at 11:57 PM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Hello, Poets. It’s good to join you on an important theme: #PoemsAbout #NeverAgain. Many thanks to @hool415.bsky.social for the invitation, and to @alanparry83.bsky.social and @brokenspinearts.bsky.social for hosting.
Recurrence Never Again. Words emaciated as immigrants laid end to end in bunk beds, chess pieces tightly muzzled in their coffer. Human cash cows held, then disappeared with no due process, to deserts and jungles not their home. We do not own the dreams ICEd by masked-men with guns, hearts squeezed small in Kevlar. Dreams cannot be barred or crushed like glass under hobnailed boots. They rise like ghosts to whisper forgotten smoke, “Never again. Never again.” – Gayle J. Greenlea Two photos: cramped bunk beds at Trump’s “Alligator Alcatraz” looking very similar to bunk beds at Auschwitz.
September 26, 2025 at 7:08 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
"Have you ever written words you thought might get you killed? Have you ever written words you worry might get someone you love killed?

That’s the reality federal judges are facing…."

https://archive.md/2025.08.07-093236/https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/07/opinion/judges-courts-threats-fear.html
Headline from NYT: The Climate of Fear Has Reached Into Unexpected Places Art: Three toothy wolves snarl at a podium mounted by several microphones, but no speaker.
August 7, 2025 at 10:26 PM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Together, we can defeat the Borg.

Times are tough, have an Enterprise:
r/STOscreenshots icon Enterprise-D vs Borg drawing of Enterprise challenging the Borg in the final battle
May 22, 2025 at 9:25 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
CNBC International: Two staff members of Israel’s Embassy in Washington, D.C., were shot dead outside the district’s Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night, officials said.

Full report here: cnb.cx/43vsSWF
A police vehicle with flashing red light and two police officers stand behind yellow crime tape in night scene with city lights behind them. Headline: Israeli Embassy staffers shot dead outside D.C.’s Capital Jewish Museum
May 22, 2025 at 6:39 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
“Can artists turn the tide? Are they more influential than elected officials in driving change? Can their speaking out mobilize mass demonstrations? Will Springsteen’s moral clarity inspire other artists?” https://open.substack.com/pub/america/p/must-artists-help-turn-the-tide?r=58l6r&utm_medium=ios
Springsteen opened like this: “The mighty E Street Band is here tonight to call upon the righteous power of art, and music, and rock ’n’ roll in dangerous times! In my home, the America I love, the America I’ve written about, that has been a beacon of hope and liberty for 250 years, is currently in the hands of a corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration. “Tonight,” he continued, “we ask all who believe in democracy and the best of our American experience to rise with us, raise your voices against authoritarianism, and let freedom ring.” Bruce Springsteen onstage in a navy vest, white shirt and tie, playing a Fender Stratocaster; drum set visible behind him.
May 17, 2025 at 10:23 PM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Birdseye view of papal conclave via the Figen. 😂 💃🏽 Video:

https://x.com/thefigen_/status/1920579585009172621?s=61
Bird descends Sistine Chapel chimney to spy on cardinals. Bird spies on cardinals line dancing inside the Sistine Chapel.
May 9, 2025 at 2:04 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
From Molly Ploofkins:

Guess what was on TV in South Florida on Saturday night?

The 1979 Clint Eastwood film "Escape from Alcatraz."

The film aired on WLRN TV, a public station that serves all of South Florida, including West Palm Beach.
Television Schedule Prime-time Monthly Print Schedule MAY Interactive TV Schedule May. 3 2025 匪 Now Primetime PROVIDER: Broadcast CURRENT CHANNEL: CHANNEL: WLRN SELECTED TIME: 09:00 pm ESCAPE FROM ALCATRAZ
May 6, 2025 at 6:37 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
As Good as it Gets
Jack Nicholson sits in diner with Helen Hunt leaning, elbows on the table.
May 3, 2025 at 9:54 PM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Everyone votes in Australia. On Election Day they pause whatever they’re doing to cast their ballots. It’s seamless. And sometimes shirtless. Swimmers are perfectly acceptable attire for voting at Bondi Beach. We got it done; re-elected Labor & sent the MAGA-loving opposition leader home. 🎉 🎊 🩱🏊 🌊
Australians voting in their speedos and bathing suits (swimmers / togs) at Bondi Beach.
May 3, 2025 at 9:17 PM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
ICE Agents Storm My Porch
BY MARIA MELENDEZ KELSON

Full poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/56837/ice-agents-storm-my-porch
ICE Agents Storm My Porch BY MARIA MELENDEZ KELSON The Indiscriminate Citizenry of Earth are out to arrest my sense of being a misfit. “Open up!” they bellow, hands quiet before my door that’s only wind and juniper needles, anyway. You can’t do it, I squeak from inside. You can’t make me feel at home here in this time of siege for me and mine, mi raza. Legalized suspicion of my legitimacy is now a permanent resident in my gut. “Fruit of the prickly pear!” they swear, striding up to my table to juice me a glass of pink nectar. They’ve brought welcome baskets stuffed with proof I’m earthling.
April 18, 2025 at 9:26 PM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
We Are Not Responsible
BY HARRYETTE MULLEN

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/145281/we-are-not-responsible
We Are Not Responsible BY HARRYETTE MULLEN We are not responsible for your lost or stolen relatives. We cannot guarantee your safety if you disobey our instructions. We do not endorse the causes or claims of people begging for handouts. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. Your ticket does not guarantee that we will honor your reservations. In order to facilitate our procedures, please limit your carrying on. Before taking off, please extinguish all smoldering resentments. If you cannot understand English, you will be moved out of the way. In the event of a loss, you’d better look out for yourself. Your insurance was cancelled because we can no longer handle your frightful claims. Our handlers lost your luggage and we are unable to find the key to your legal case. You were detained for interrogation because you fit the profile. You are not presumed to be innocent if the police have reason to suspect you are carrying a concealed wallet. It’s not our fault you were born wearing a gang color. It is not our obligation to inform you of your rights. Step aside, please, while our officer inspects your bad attitude. You have no rights we are bound to respect. Please remain calm, or we can’t be held responsible for what happens to you.
April 18, 2025 at 9:10 PM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Correction: Senator Van Hollen
Text: I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return. Image: Sen Chris Van Hollen reaches across table to Kilmar Abrego Garcia as the two men speak in a hotel cafe.
April 18, 2025 at 3:03 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
The Trump administration is full of conspiracy theorists & extremists — & very young men. Newest: Royce Chamberlin, appointed to Office of the Sec of Defense at DoD.

Royce tweeted that he is “helping ensure our country is viewed as a force not to be reckoned with.”

Post below via Jim Stewartson:
Four men, left to right: shirtless dude with red, white and blue face paint, thumbs up; teen Royce Chamberlain, new appointee to Sec of Defense at DOD, holding camera, thumbs up; shirtless, heavily tattooed guy with r/wh/bl face paint and Indian headdress, scowling, making a fist; dude wearing iridescent shades, thumbs up.
April 18, 2025 at 2:13 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Timothy Snyder: We are sending people to the Salvadoran gulag for nothing at all.

ICE Took His Son From Their Bronx Home. Now His 19-Year-Old Is In Bukele’s Mega-prison In El Salvador

Merwil Gutiérrez had no criminal record when ICE agents detained him…
documentedny.com/2025/04/14/i...
Wilmer Gutiérrez stands by a window, hands folded on the sill, wallpaper peeling on the wall behind him.
April 17, 2025 at 9:39 PM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
“K2-18b may…harbor a tremendous supply of dimethyl sulfide in its atmosphere, thousands of times higher than the level found on Earth. This would suggest that its Hycean seas are brimming with life.” archive.md/2025.04.17-0...
Astronomers Detect a Possible Signature of Life on a Distant Planet. Further studies are needed to determine whether K2-18b, which orbits a star 120 light-years away, is inhabited, or even habitable. Image: an earth-like blue planet with a red sun imposed on the black of Space.
April 17, 2025 at 6:39 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
The single most important thing you can do right now is make the protests so big that they truly shock the world. - David Pepper

#FiftyFiftyOne, April 19, 2025

Find your protest location: www.fiftyfifty.one
NO KINGS 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION APRIL 19, 2025 A NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION IN DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACY Visual art: silhouettes of people protesting, a raised fist, a crown with an X through it.
April 17, 2025 at 4:08 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Zev Shalev: Whistleblower Exposes High Level Breach Into DOGE Using Approved ID And Password www.narativ.org/p/breaking-n...
BREAKING NEWS: Russian IP Addresses Accessing US Government Data via Elon Musk's DOGE Whistleblower Exposes High Level Breach Into DOGE Using Approved... WWW.NARATIV.ORG
April 16, 2025 at 8:15 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Joy Harjo’s Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings (via Peege)
For any spark to make a song it must be transformed by pressure. There must be unspeakable need, muscle of belief, and wild, unknowable elements. I am singing asong that can only be born after losing a country.
April 13, 2025 at 10:00 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Sontag Mag:

“You tell me a sin goat is a mute one / to shoulder all the blame and guilt, / to carry to the edge of an abyss, / to drop itself down at once.”

Read the rest of “Sin Goat” by Özge Lena in Sontag Mag’s fourth volume, linked here: https://t.co/BnTQGfpttO
“You tell me a sin goat is a mute one / to shoulder all the blame and guilt” Ozge Lena No. 4
April 13, 2025 at 9:05 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
I look at the world
BY LANGSTON HUGHES

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/52005/i-look-at-the-world
I look at the world BY LANGSTON HUGHES I look at the world From awakening eyes in a black face— And this is what I see: This fenced-off narrow space Assigned to me. I look then at the silly walls Through dark eyes in a dark face— And this is what I know: That all these walls oppression builds Will have to go! I look at my own body With eyes no longer blind— And I see that my own hands can make The world that's in my mind. Then let us hurry, comrades, The road to find.
March 28, 2025 at 6:37 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
What Kind of Times Are These
BY ADRIENNE RICH

Full poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51092/what-kind-of-times-are-these
What Kind of Times Are These BY ADRIENNE RICH There's a place between two stands of trees where the grass grows uphill and the old revolutionary road breaks off into shadows near a meeting-house abandoned by the persecuted who disappeared into those shadows. I've walked there picking mushrooms at the edge of dread, but don't be fooled this isn't a Russian poem, this is not somewhere else but here, our country moving closer to its own truth and dread, its own ways of making people disappear.
March 28, 2025 at 6:16 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
We Are Not Responsible
BY HARRYETTE MULLEN

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/145281/we-are-not-responsible
We Are Not Responsible BY HARRYETTE MULLEN We are not responsible for your lost or stolen relatives. We cannot guarantee your safety if you disobey our instructions. We do not endorse the causes or claims of people begging for handouts. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. Your ticket does not guarantee that we will honor your reservations. In order to facilitate our procedures, please limit your carrying on. Before taking off, please extinguish all smoldering resentments. If you cannot understand English, you will be moved out of the way. In the event of a loss, you’d better look out for yourself. Your insurance was cancelled because we can no longer handle your frightful claims. Our handlers lost your luggage and we are unable to find the key to your legal case. You were detained for interrogation because you fit the profile. You are not presumed to be innocent if the police have reason to suspect you are carrying a concealed wallet. It’s not our fault you were born wearing a gang color. It is not our obligation to inform you of your rights. Step aside, please, while our officer inspects your bad attitude. You have no rights we are bound to respect. Please remain calm, or we can’t be held responsible for what happens to you.
March 28, 2025 at 6:03 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Bent to the Earth, by Blas Manuel de Luna

Full poem here: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48155/bent-to-the-earth
Bent to the Earth BY BLAS MANUEL DE LUNA They had hit Ruben with the high beams, had blinded him so that the van he was driving, full of Mexicans going to pick tomatoes, would have to stop. Ruben spun the van into an irrigation ditch, spun the five-year-old me awake to immigration officers, their batons already out, already looking for the soft spots on the body, to my mother being handcuffed and dragged to a van, to my father trying to show them our green cards.
March 28, 2025 at 5:42 AM
gjgreenlea.bsky.social
Photo of Zelensky with caption: The new leader of the free world.
March 5, 2025 at 1:54 AM