For over a year it's been said
That our Commander in Chief
Wants to pull the U.S.
Out of NATO! Good grief!

His grasp of history is so
Absent that it's no wonder
Why he keeps committing
Blunder after blunder.

The greatest alliance for peace
The world has ever known--
One that's prevented Europe
From being a combat zone--

Has been a solid presence
Since after World War II.
Our pulling out
Would be a big to-do.

One thing we know:
Putin would be delighted.
Such a foolish action
Would be extremely shortsighted.

In fact, it would cause
A huge power shift
And for Vladimir Putin
Would be the greatest gift.

For reasons yet to be
Discovered, Donald Trump
Does Putin's bidding
And kisses Putin's ****.

We wonder what the president
Owes his Russian friend.
Will his actions come back
To bite him in the end?

Being a target for blackmail
Can't be very fun.
It puts us all in danger
When all is said and done.

If Trump keeps insisting
On pulling out of NATO,
Someone needs to throw
The proverbial tomato.

-by Bob B (1-16-19)

Life is a journey. We MUST be receptive
And view our adventures with fond regard.
Take a trip through the symbol-rich Tarot--
The Major Arcana--card by card.

0-The Fool
We, the seekers of knowledge and wisdom,
Set out on our journey at birth.
May we be open to all the wonders
And opportunities offered on Earth.

1-The Magician
Within and without are all the tools
Necessary to find our way.
Find the Magician within to guide you
To say what you mean and mean what you say.

2-The High Priestess
Know that universal truths
May or may not remain concealed.
Open your heart to be receptive
To what is yet to be revealed.

3-The Empress
Fecundity of imagination
Adorns the earth and nurtures the heart.
Compassion and kindness are gentle offspring,
As are glorious music and art.

4-The Emperor
Stability and power thrive
When reason's lovingly applied.
Greatness gains both awe and respect
When honor and truth walk side by side.

5-The Hierophant
Know when to follow what's tried and true
And tends to be more orthodox,
And know what to do when your inner guide says
It's time to think out of the box.

6-The Lovers
Love yourself or you will find
It's hard to love other people, indeed.
Choices, yes, have consequences.
A great oak grows from a tiny seed.

7-The Chariot
Maintain your balance; gather your forces.
Past experience plays a role.
Take control of your life, but hark!:
There's ONLY so much you can control.

8-Strength
Now you can focus on inner strength,
The wise application of which
Gives you greatness of character.
Even with little, you'll still be rich.

9-The Hermit
Take the time to look inside you;
Calmly reflect on all you've learned.
Mindfulness in actions brings
Inner peace to all concerned.

10-Wheel of Fortune
Know when it's time for you to act;
Know when it's time for you to bend.
Cause and effect and impermanence
Are necessary to comprehend.

11-Justice
Things turn out the way they do
For many reasons, so we must
Do our best to always try
To aim for what is fair and just.

12-The Hanged Man
Life's not always black and white.
A smile is just the reverse of a frown.
If your point of view is stagnant,
Then look at things from upside down.

13-Death
Embrace the new, let go of the old;
Don't become attached to duration.
Failure to go with the flow impedes
Any hopes of transformation.

14-Temperance
Lack of moderation and self-
Indulgence mustn't be ignored.
Find the right combinations
To let your balance be restored.

15-The Devil
We indulge in addictions, desires,
And pettiness, and take great pains
To hide from the truth: that we have the power
To free ourselves from our bonds and chains.

16-The Tower
If we fail to heed the warnings
That show the corruptive nature of power,
We will learn the hard way as we're
Struck down from our ivory tower.

17-The Star
But healing exists all around us.
Hitch your wagon to a star.
Let the wonders of hope and insight
Help you discover who you are.

18-The Moon
Reflecting the light of the sun, the moon
Shows us that EVERYTHING is fleeting.
Things aren't always what they seem.
"Trust yourself!" is worth repeating.

19-The Sun
Life and the sun walk hand in hand.
Light is awareness; awareness is light.
Appreciate the rays of the sun
That chase away the darkness of night.

20-Judgment
Judgment's a type of wake-up call.
You'll find strength in the aftermath
Of inner shake-ups. You'll be fine,
Just as long as you stay on your path.

21-The World
You're making progress. Congratulations!
If self-discovery is your objective,
Start again; the cycle continues.
Observe the world from a new perspective.

-by Bob B (1-15-19)

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)