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Only on 12/5
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A protagonist
Who needs to make a difference
Swims against the tide

Love found and love lost,
Triumph through simple hard work,
Great personal loss

Lessons learned too late
Agony of revealed truth
That can't be unlearned

If you like SF
My short stories book is free
Through 11/30

The Things for Which I am Most Grateful

- A God who loves me despite the many faults that make me unworthy of His love;

- A wife who has been my best friend for more than three fourths of my life, even when I have been so much less of a friend to her than she deserves;

- Parents who have given up everything that I may have a life better than they enjoyed and never made me feel the weight of their sacrifice and who now watch over me from heaven;

- Grandparents who imparted unforgettable lessons through their example that include: prize your good name above all other things; there is no shame in poverty but for poverty of spirit; hard work will see us through any adversity; and there are many things far more precious than our own lives;

- Friends who have helped me get through the most difficult times of my life;

- The opportunity to serve others through meaningful work;

- Exceptional colleagues with whose help anything is possible;

- Teachers in public and private institutions that instilled in me a love of learning through high school and beyond;

- The men and women who put on a uniform every day and voluntarily undertake the dangerous work of policing our streets, putting out our fires, rescuing us from harm and ensuring our freedom through their selfless sacrifice in places far from home;

- The privilege to live in an adopted country that has welcomed, accepted and nurtured me, bestowed upon me the honor of its citizenship and to which I am most proud to pledge my allegiance above all others, grateful beyond words for the opportunity to live in the greatest country that the world has ever known.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I’m not woke
won't buy a pig in a poke
'cause my common sense ain't broke
won't slip my head in your yoke
no joke

CRT? That’s not for me
of mind manacles I'm free
so go climb or hug a tree
and let rational people be
your Marxist-inspired lies even a blind man can see

if all you see is racism
I suggest you change your prism
try a little optimism
it will free you from the prison
of binary thinking derision

racism, alas, exists
but by no means just in whites
the antidote is to resist
polarizing angry fights
that shed smoke, heat but no light

there is but one human race:
**** sapiens sapiens--all precursors have expired
it comes in wondrous diverse colors, sizes and is wired
to experience humane grace
there's just one known race in known space

let's stop making false excuses
for success or failure of individuals in a group
and address the real abuses
that make some fail to bear fruit
or may even cause some good people to loot

but keep it real if you please
stand for anything and you’ll stand for naught
no one is entitled to success with ease
it requires hard work, sacrifice, and doing what one ought
failure by not following the rules deserves not a second thought

spreading lies as truth
is propaganda, not woke
nor is poisoning our youth
fanning smoke where there's no fire
false loyalties to acquire

Happy Birthday, mom
You and dad now in heaven
I miss you so much

You can see me now
Remember me once again
I hope not my pain

Miss our daily chats
More so our time together
And your warm embrace

Time passed so quickly
Joy a bright flash in the night
Now dark grief remains

May God rest your soul,
And dad's, always by your side
Nestled in God's love

Hear their approaching hoofbeats,
See the destruction in their wake,
Know it is we who summoned them.

The poison of our hatred draws them,
As does the indifference in our hearts,
And the darkness in our souls.

As we've sown, so now we reap,
Division, acrimony, and ill will,
Harvests that nourish our inner demons.

War, famine, pestilence, and death
now march,
Trampling freedom, hope, and truth,
Co-opting and mocking God's grace.

The tipping point is visible on the horizon.
Soon there will be no turning back,
If we succumb to our collective madness..

Young, naïve lawyer,
For-profit business school dean,
A Quixotic quest.

Idealism,
Despite the odds,
May yet win the day.

Or will it be crushed?
Humor, angst, triumph, heartbreak,
All par for the course.

Love found and love lost,
Trial by fire tempers or breaks,
Steel in life's hot forge.

Which for our young dean?
Will he too tilt at windmills,
Thinking them cruel knights?

Or will he prevail,
Stay true to his quest until,
He succeeds or fails?

You can hear me read the complete first nine chapters from my new novel referenced in this "teaser poem" in my podcasts at https://open.spotify.com/show/1zgnkuAIVJaQ0Gb6pOfQOH