Joan Baez Critiques Donald Trump’s Empathy Deficit in Poignant New Poem

## Joan Baez’s Evolving Poetry

Last year, Joan Baez released her inaugural poetry collection titled *When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance*. This work reflects her insights on personal experiences and family dynamics, alongside observations on her fellow musicians. Recently, she has started to explore a different style of verse. “I saw two masked men grab a boy, and [wrote] something about beating him up and letting him fall through the cracks into a dungeon,” she shares. “It was a tough one. But that’s how it started; that was the first one.”

## Engaging with Current Themes

Since then, Joan has immersed herself in topical poetry, a natural extension of her long-standing commitment to folk music and activism. Her poetry oscillates between sharp humor and deep reflection, addressing pressing issues ranging from ICE raids to political figures. One poignant piece, titled “Little Green Worm,” serves as a critique of Donald Trump. Baez notes, “When I’m present and looking out at my own yard and the trees and all that, it’s still as beautiful as it ever was. Yet, there are moments of profound sorrow and frustration. I found that poetry helps — just bringing it to life on paper keeps my head above water.”

## Exploring Future Possibilities

Currently, Baez contemplates whether she’ll compile her growing collection of topical poems into a book. She’s uncertain about transforming them into songs, especially given their unconventional forms. “I talked to other songwriters because I wondered, ‘Why isn’t this working?’” she reveals regarding an initial attempt. “They advised me based on their own experiences that poetry doesn’t always translate to music effectively.”

## Embracing New Experiences

As another creative outlet, Baez is performing twice a week at the Soiled Dove, a nostalgic circus performance in Alameda, California. In this role, she both dances and sings in character. “It’s wild, crazy, and exhausting,” she admits. “But I’ve always wanted to dance onstage, and it never quite worked out until now. So I’m exploring that avenue, dancing and singing, all while sporting a blonde wig. It’s a space where I can momentarily escape the chaos of the world.”

## A Poem by Joan Baez

*By Joan Baez*

Since you are so comfortable
hiring people whose minds have
been hollowed out by worms,
I’ve been thinking about

a little green worm that has
worked its way into
your anterior insular cortex,
the part of the brain

where empathy originates.
Empathy is the ability to understand,
feel, and share the emotions of
another person.

It is like a muscle,
which is to say:
you can develop it with practice.
The little green worm quickly devoured yours.

He then munched onward
until he came to
the prefrontal cortex,
which is involved in

impulse control
and regulating social behavior.
It’s meant to stop us from blurting out
vulgarities such as

“Grab her by the pussy” and
“Shithole countries” or accusing all
Mexican immigrants of being criminals,
rapists, and drug dealers.

There is one of your outbursts, however,
that remains both
unfiltered and true:
“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue

and shoot someone,
and I wouldn’t lose any voters.”
What’s a little green worm to do
but munch on to the cerebrum,

which is the big one, responsible for thought,
language, memory, reasoning, and learning,
for all the functions that make up basic
intelligence.

But oh shit: there’s nothing there.