A relentless authentic punk rock dreamer from 1988 Hoboken becomes the unwitting “poster boy” for a megalomaniacal media mogul’s lifestyle makeover scheme, and must fight to reclaim his identity and stop the mogul from destroying his community.

CAST LIST:
Narrator: Hannah Ehman
Igor: Sean Ballantyne
Mr. Grabowsky: Shawn Devlin

Performed by Val Cole

—–
POEM:

I hear the flatline
Sounds of machine chirping between my ears
Pounding again and again
Like nails scratching a blackboard
Taking over my brain
Bee… beep…beep
Interrupting my thoughts getting louder
Wishing it was her heart moving in rhythm
An imperfected dance moving through the machine
Like our chemistry
I tried to recall our last conversation
Remembering the words
The way she uttered each syllable
But the sound of the damn machine kept creeping in
Breaking my concentration
Piercing my mind
All I hear is the beep…beep…beep
My mind flashing from present to past
Remembering the very first kiss
Savoring the way her lips grazed on my skin
The laugh when she was attempting to be cheeky
Beep…beep…beep
swapping back to now
At this moment, I hold her hand
Never wanting to let go
Soft and delicate
Cool to touch but I couldn’t enjoy this moment
Because of the beep…beep…beep
Growing stronger and louder
I looked into her eyes hoping she would say something
Her body was void of life
Yet she was so peaceful.
The noise was booming
Jolting me as it pierced my ears
Beep…beep…beep
Infiltrating my last moment
Our last moment
Beep…..beep….beep….then silence
A feeling of relief
A voice in the background whispering she’s gone
BEEEEEP!

Performed by Val Cole

—-
POEM:

Brother, while you were sleeping,
hands crossed over your hot-wired heart,
your friends, Smitty the gambler, and
folk singer Rick, stood at your bedside, then
slipped away. Now it’s just the two of us,
and the urgent beeping in this dim room.

When you awaken, with a moan
I know the pain is back, so I check
the time, head for the nurses’ station.

LaTasha feeds the morphine into the IV.
“This will fix you up.”
“Thank you, darlin’.”
Then she mutes the monitors, leaves us.

In the fragile quiet, you tell me your dream:
the Walmart on Victory Drive has been torn down,
and Baker High is back where it used to be. We are
bleeding out on the practice field,
and Trump, not Whiteside, is our coach.

I remember my broken leg, the team doctor
who called it a bruise. We fought a kind of war
with our teammates, while Vietnam festered
in an open wound, half a world away,

Slowly, the painkiller spreads, and you
drift away. But this time your hands are fists,
one by your face on the pillow, the other
chest-high, like you’re about to throw
a punch. At whom? Our president? The tyrant
of a football coach we all hated?

Untether, brother, go back to the south side,
strap on your helmet, lace up your steel cleats,
take this one last chance to settle the score

performed by Val Cole

5-10-23

Donald Trump Goes Down

Donald Trump
got sentenced to
something like 15 counts
of abuse and defamation
of E. Jean Carroll.
His attorneys tried to say
that E. Jean
was not “his type.”
What “type” is that?
A type who has
a shred of self respect?
A type who
had the sense to make
a legal accusation?
A type too smart
to be pummeled into
keeping quiet?
Is there a “type”
that makes it OK
To rape
To abuse
To demean
To deface?
What a terrible legal argument,
and what a terrible thing to say.
I am glad he
is getting his comeuppance

Showcase of the best POLITICAL FILMS in the world today.

Audience Award Winners:
Best Film: DESIRE
Best Visual Design: BALONEY (GROTESQUE)
Best Micro-Short Film: NO TO WAR

No to war. 30 sec., Argentina
Directed by Jimmy Alejandro Castro Zambrano
A child who enjoys the mechanical games of a fair imagines that he uses the typical toys of war to make way for a thought-provoking message.

https://instagram.com/jimmyartista

Baloney (Grotesque), 7min., Portugal
Directed by Carlos Alberto de Matos Trindade
The short film is dedicated to Donald J. Trump, undoubtedly one of the most extravagant and controversial characters in our recent history, in the United States and the world; a true sower of chaos and destruction, and inciter of hatred and division, elected US president on 8 November 2016, against Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

DESIRE, 45min., India
Directed by Rudresh Ganachari
In a small apartment supported by community funds, a brother and sister in their eighties live quietly on the margins of society. He has an intellectual disability. She lives with a severe physical disability. Together, they depend on each other to get through each day.Directed by Jimmy Alejandro Castro Zambrano
A child who enjoys the mechanical games of a fair imagines that he uses the typical toys of war to make way for a thought-provoking message.

https://instagram.com/jimmyartista

Performed by Val Cole

Performed by Val Cole

—-

Inheritance

Dear Son,

Even before you arrive,
before your name means anything to the world,
there is something
the world will expect you to understand.

This world was made by killers.

Troy.
Thermopylae.
Tours.
Waterloo.
Gettysburg.
Stalingrad.

Each place a moment
when the world narrowed,
words ran out,
and history bent to will
because men chose not to step aside.

All of this
happened before you.
But none of it
relieves you.

You are my heart.
Not my pride.
Not my ambition.

Because of that,
I will not lie to you.
Remember this.

Protect your mother,
for she carried you
from dark into breath.
That crossing binds you
long after you have a name.

Protect your sister,
for in her safety
our house is judged.
What reaches her
reaches the name you will carry.

Protect your wife,
not as possession,
but as the one who keeps you standing,
when love becomes work,
and work becomes vow.

Protect your children,
for they are tomorrow
watching you now.
What you do not hold,
they will be made to bear.

So, son,
when the moment comes
hold the line.
Stand fast

Performed by Val Cole

—-
POEM:

My pretty red hat tells me I’m special
My godsent president says it’s okay I’m not kind
“Well why did you make them run you over?”
Those blue-haired people are out of their mind.

Mr. Donnie does business – he’s filthy rich!
He’ll pull us out of this economic stitch
A guy that has money is the perfect hire
And thank God he validates my darkest desires

Sure he might call a woman a pig or a bitch
And he might not help me if im stuck in a ditch
But he’ll make America great again in no time at all
You’re exaggerating when you say “empire fall”

He tells it like it is and I really kind of like him
A hell of a lot smarter than that Sleepy Joe Biden
Iran was a threat, he did what he had to
If you support terrorists, shame on you!

Do your own research. You get the jab, you’re a fool!
The media is fake, unless it Fox News
I don’t really think it’s your right to choose
Take that abortion money and buy some comfortable shoes

Only God can judge me, but he says I can judge you
Because I’m sparkling and special and I pray for the jews
I’m proud of ICE agents ridding us of our sins
If they can’t speak English, why the hell let em in?

No they’re not quite like us civilized and refined
They’re more like animals with crazed savage minds
And I’m sure some nice kid will get out and pick berries
Just as long as it ain’t my darling son Larry

No I won’t wag my finger if your collar is blue
I’ve got steel toes on every one of my boots
Growing up in a family with mining roots
No way them and commies were in cahoots

Question them not us – we’re on the working man’s side
Now look here you bum, I can’t give you a ride
I’ve gotta get home to my shiny boob tube
To refuel my anger with the 5 o’ clock news

You’ll see in due time
It’ll all work out
Don’t die and comply
Shut your questioning mouth
Pay your taxes, thank the lord, and praise the red, white, blue
God Bless Americans!
(The ones like me, not like you)

Performed by Val Cole

Editor & Visual Design by Adam Bilyea

Produced by Matthew

Poetry by Adriane P. Reesey

aGREED RuiNATION

contracts signed in clean rooms
ink dries while something else erodes
buildings rise as the footing gives
doors open for some, close on others
numbers climb while something fails