The clues have been…let's say,
Preponderant. We've seen
That Trump's reputation
Is far from squeaky clean.

Now he sounds indignant:
"How dare they imply
That I worked with Russia!
Do THEY think I'm a spy?"

Is there evidence
That Trump and certain staff,
Knowingly or not,
Worked on Russia's behalf?

Knowing or not knowing…
Yes, even the latter
Definitely is
A counterintelligence matter.

The FBI will discover
Whether suspicions are true
While Trump sends out a tweetstorm.
Of course, what else is new?

Is he an asset to Russia
At our country's expense?
The accusation really
Makes a lot of sense.

His words and actions are
Often injudicious,
Which makes him sound so utterly
And blatantly suspicious.

Mueller certainly knows
A lot more than we think.
He will put together
The pieces, link by link.

Team Trump will spread
Deep state myths to steer
Us off the path to truth.
They smear whom they can smear.

They will try to hide
The truth without a doubt.
Cooperation with Russia
Is what it’s all about.

Misstating the law,
Giuliani tries
To give Trump his support
By backing the president’s lies.

Trump’s words leave us
With so much to bemoan.
Who knows WHAT goes on
When Putin and he are alone?

He's been parroting Putin's
Talking points. How's that?
Is he a spokesman for
The Russian autocrat?

Undeniably, Trump
Finds himself in a spot,
Which amounts to a case
Of possible kompromat.

Never have we had
A situation so…hairy.
Never have we had
A president so scary.

-by Bob B (1-13-19)

When will the government shutdown end?
Not till Trump comes to his senses.
Meanwhile, Trump's obsessive behavior
Is having disastrous consequences:

Many government workers are on
Furlough; thus, they're not being paid.
Businesses are also affected;
Services are being delayed.

If Mitch McConnell had a backbone--
If the obstructionist had the will--
Immediately, Congress could send
The president a veto-proof bill.

The Dems truly want border security,
But a wall is NOT a part of the deal,
Whether a structure is made of cement,
Or whether it comes from iron or steel.

Many feel that Trump and his team
Have skillfully manufactured a crisis.
They insist that a wall on our SOUTHERN
Border is going to protect us from ISIS.

Trump says that if he wants
To build his wall, he can declare
A national emergency.
That means he'll get the money from where?

From pillaging disaster funds.
Bound and determined to build his wall,
He will go to any lengths
To rob Peter to pay Paul.

If you think he was being sincere
In his Oval Office speech, he wasn't.
Most of us care that people are hurting.
The trouble is that Trump doesn't.

-by Bob B (1-11-19)

The government shutdown drags on and on.
The president remains fixated
On building his wall on the southern border--
His arguments all fabricated.

His speech--sounding like Stephen Miller--
Interrupted prime-time TV.
In efforts to shore up his base and win
More support, he made his plea.

A litany of Stephen Miller
Scare stories does not move
An audience who's on to their tactics--
Who sees what they're trying to prove--

That we have a humanitarian
Crisis here. No mistaking.
However, the crisis happens to be
A crisis of the president's making!

Using false statistics, the president
Tried to establish his flimsy case.
The con artist hoped to convince
Others beyond his regular base.

Once he said that he would be
Responsible for the shutdown, but that's
Immaterial now, for he
Is blaming the "evil" Democrats.

The Democrats are all for border
Security, to Trump's surprise.
But he is so obsessed with his "wall,"
That he can't see beyond his lies.

To hold the government hostage has been
Trump's tactic to get his way.
What we've seen in the past few weeks
Is a childish tantrum on display.

Hopefully, more people of conscience
Will cut and run from the president's side--
Tired of manufactured crises,
And tired of being taken for a ride.

-by Bob B (1-9-19)

The Dems have taken back the House!
Hopefully, there now will be
For Donald Trump and his admin team
Some accountability.

For two years, Republicans
Have groveled before the man at the top,
Assisting him in obstructing justice.
The nonsense is going to have to stop.

The president's relationship
With the truth worsens every day.
Normal leaders would watch their step,
But his huge ego gets in his way.

Trump’s talking points, for instance,
At a recent Cabinet meeting
Were right out of Putin’s playbook--
Not worthy of even retweeting.

Well, now it’s about time
That members of Congress voice their concern.
Forget about being obsequious,
Mealy-mouthed or taciturn!

Now the American people will have
A House that really cares about them--
One that will fight for justice and also
Condemn that which it ought to condemn.

Many sworn into office today
Reflect diversity in their faces--
Mainly among the Democrats,
Who won highly competitive races.

Progressive change won’t be easy.
There’s STILL a storm that we have to weather:
Trump’s sycophants in the Senate--
Another story altogether.

The past two years have clearly shown us
What a horrible mess we're in.
Positive change will move us forward.
Let the oversight begin!

-by Bob B (1-3-19)

When I'm feeling agitated,
Discontented, or unmotivated,
Then I tell myself to hold fast,
For such adverse feelings won't last.

Sometimes the world has a radiant sheen,
And everything seems "peachy keen."
It's fantastic when things are sublime,
But such good feelings will pass with time.

Freezing temps can really get old,
But when I'm hot, I want to be cold.
Though I hate hot weather a lot,
When I'm cold, I want to be hot.

When I'm feeling down in the dumps,
I say, "Oh, well, life has its bumps."
If I tough it out, in a while
I know my frown will turn to a smile.

Aren't we full of contradictions?
We can clash with our own convictions.
With some practice, things will click,
And we can find out what makes us tick.

Look inside yourself and you'll see
In life there is no guarantee.
Is what you're seeing REAL, or do you
See only what you perceive to be true?

-by Bob B (1-2-19)

Twenty eighteen has come and gone,
And all I can say is, What a year!
That twenty nineteen will also be
Just as crazy is crystal clear.

Mass shootings once again
Shook the country, taking a toll
On all of us, and yet very little
Has been done about gun control.

Always the center of controversies,
Trump again tried to assuage
The public by pleading ignorance
When Stormy Daniels took center stage.

Then we learned that Trump had paid
Hush money to flings at least TWICE
In hopes to secure his chances of winning
The twenty sixteen election. How nice!

A lot of Trump's team have left
Through the admin's revolving door,
Always mired in controversy.
There are bound to be many more.

Trump has proved he loves his tyrants
More than he loves our allies and friends.
Ignoring advice from experts, he'll do
Whatever Putin recommends.

Hurricanes caused major flooding;
California was ravaged by fires.
Yet dire warnings go unheeded
By stalwart climate change deniers.

The separation of families seeking
Asylum showed a callous side
Of Trump and his team, whose inhumane
Actions cannot be denied.

Year two of investigations…
Manafort, Gates, Cohen, and Flynn
Are talking more, while the walls
Around Donald Trump are closing in.

Meanwhile Trump continues to lie.
There's no end to his subterfuge.
How many lies? Eight thousand?
And Giuliani plays his stooge.

Kavanagh got a Supreme Court seat
After a sham investigation,
Which shows how Trump maintains the belief:
What's good for Trump is good for the nation.

November saw a welcome blue wave
Sweep through the House. Such a delight!
This should end Nunes' obstruction
Of justice. There will be oversight!

We lost three prominent people:
Barbara and George Bush and McCain.
Very few members of
The old Republican guard remain.

Trump cannot stop harping on
His WALL--a waste of money and time.
With our crumbling infrastructure,
Building his "wall" would be a crime.

What will the New Year bring forth?
Perhaps an indictment? Perhaps an arraignment?
Since Trump loves to be the star,
THAT'S what I'd call entertainment!

-by Bob B (1-1-19)

Holiday cheer and hustle and bustle
From Thanksgiving until Christmas Day.
Running somewhat on autopilot…
Sometimes longing to get away…
Embracing the spirit of the holiday season,
I hoped good tidings would stifle bad news.
But now that Christmas is over, I am
Stuck with the after-Christmas blues.

Days have been for the most part sunny;
Winters are mild in southern Cal.
Holiday baking would have to be fruitful:
Cookies and candy would boost my morale.
The holiday sweets have all disappeared now.
I didn't gain and I didn't lose.
Fugacious pleasures have left, and now I'm
Feeling the after-Christmas blues.

Caught up in the holiday spirit,
For a brief moment I thought there would be
And end to lies, injustice, and hate…
An end to all this insanity.
But no, decorations merely
Hide the truths that we can't excuse,
And once again we hear the sounds
That linger: the after-Christmas blues.

Ah, but all things must pass, no?
That is what I find myself saying.
People will open their eyes and they
Will see what the deeper truths are conveying.
Change will come, so let's be hopeful.
Let us all together refuse
To be downhearted. Then we can say
Goodbye to the after-Christmas blues.

-by Bob B (12-30-18)